MultiChoice Kenya has slashed the price of its most expensive DStv package by Sh4,400 a month and collapsed its line-up from six bouquets to four, in a major price reset as the pay-TV operator battles falling subscriber numbers and competition from online streaming services.

The new packages, announced in Nairobi on Monday, range from Sh750 to Sh7,300 a month and take effect on November 5, 2026.

The new packages

The entry-level DStv Starter costs Sh750 a month and carries more than 116 channels, including Spanish La Liga football, local Kenyan programming, telenovelas and children's content. DStv Select, at Sh1,500, offers more than 149 channels with news, movies, series and Italy's Serie A.

DStv Sports, priced at Sh3,000, is aimed squarely at football fans, bundling the English Premier League, the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League alongside a new SuperSport Swahili channel, according to tech site Techweez.

At the top, DStv Ultimate, at Sh7,300 a month, replaces the old Premium package, which cost Sh11,700. It offers more than 180 channels and adds Formula 1, MotoGP, rugby, tennis and golf.

Who pays less, and who pays more

For most subscribers, the reshuffle means lower bills. According to a comparison by Techweez, households on the old Compact package, which cost Sh4,200, will pay Sh1,200 less on the new Sports bouquet, while those on Compact Plus, at Sh7,300, save Sh4,300. Family subscribers, previously on Sh2,250, will see a Sh750 cut if they move to Select.

Not everyone benefits. Customers on the old Access package, at Sh1,450, will pay Sh50 more on Select, while the Lite package at Sh750 is effectively unchanged as Starter.

The top GOtv package has also been reduced, from Sh3,199 to Sh3,000 a month, Capital FM reported.

"This marks a defining moment in our 30-year journey in Kenya," MultiChoice Kenya chief executive Nzola Miranda said, adding that the company had reviewed its product portfolio, "reimagining and simplifying our package offerings."

A shrinking customer base

The price cuts come against a backdrop of steady losses. Data from the Communications Authority of Kenya shows MultiChoice shed more than 57,000 DStv and GOtv subscribers in the first half of 2026, leaving it with a combined base of 653,066.

DStv's own decoder base fell from 270,503 at the end of 2025 to 248,053 at the end of March, before recovering slightly to 259,047 in the regulator's following report, Techweez noted.

Capital FM linked the cuts to the subscriber losses and growing competition from online streaming platforms, which have been drawing viewers away from traditional pay TV.

The overhaul is part of a wider continental revamp under French broadcaster Canal+, which took control of MultiChoice in September 2025. Promotional adverts for the new packages have already started appearing in other African markets, including Zimbabwe, Botswana, Malawi and Tanzania.

What subscribers should do

The new prices apply from November 5. Subscribers would do well to check which new bouquet their current package maps to before their next renewal, particularly those on the old Access plan, the only tier facing a price increase, and households that want Premier League football, which now sits in the Sh3,000 Sports package.

Photos: Capital FM, The Kenya Times