Pay TVs Cut Prices to Catch Shifting Audiences 

Pay TV Channels in are in a fierce competition for space in Kenyan living rooms as more audiences, especially the younger generation shift their consumer preferences. The television set, meanwhile, has suddenly moved from the wall-unit to the mobile handset and other internet-based Apps and devices.

It is this shift in consumer behaviour that is forcing Pay TV firms to change tact, including cutting down on their decoder prices, transmission dish installation charges and reviewing price tags on their package offerings.

Pay TVs now find themselves in the same spot as traditional banks that have had to retool their offerings to match the more agile and razor sharp digital lenders.

MultiChoice Kenya, a local subsidiary of South Africa’s MultiChoice Group- which recently changed ownership to global French Giant Canal+, is the first off the blocks. It is tapping into the upcoming festive season with new offers to retain its dwindling subscriber numbers.

Also hit by shifting customer preferences is Chinese-owned StarTimes, which has tailored its packages to meet the budgets of the low and middle-income households in Kenya keen to consume pay tv services.

According to a recent Communication Authority of Kenya(CAK) Report, there has been a significant drop in active subscriptions in Kenya’s Pay TV market to what it attributes to consumers shifting to Over the Top(OTT) Services that are delivered mostly over the internet.

OTT services are gaining popularity because the offer more flexibility and convenience, allowing viewers to watch content on their own schedules. CAK said this shift is driven by high mobile internet penetration and an increasing preference for on-demand content, especially among the younger GenZ audiences.

Pay TV services Active subscriptions fell 76.9% to 1.48 million by June 2025, affecting DStv, GOtv, Azam and Chinese-owned StarTimes.

GOtv& DStv as well as Startimes have seen their active subscriptions decline by 88.7%, 84.2% and 70.9% respectively in one year, according to CAK data.

Pay TV Services now out of reach for many households

The October statistical bulletin from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics(KNBS), October 2025, notes the rise in television subscription, which went up by 0.3% between September and October this year.

While MultiChoice repeated price hikes have made its services out of reach of many Kenyan households, consumers are also shifting their eyes to more flexible, affordable, and on-demand propositions, products that traditional players in the pay tv space, are still struggling to offer.

Pay TV dominant player in Kenya, MultiChoice Kenya is the first to cut down prices of its DStv and Gotv decoders as the end year festive season rolls in. For instance, the media firm has cut its DStv dish kit from KSh 2,000 to KSh 1650,while offering huge discounts on its decoders, antenna and packages.

Likewise, StarTimes is offering Digital Terrestrial Television(DTT) decoders at KSh 1,119 and Direct-to-Home(DTH) packages from KSh 2,999, during the festive season.

Targeting the low-end market, Startimes Subscriptions range from KSh 329.00 per month for the Nyota package to the most expensive Super package at KSh 1799 per month with over 100 channels.

A complete Zuku Satellite TV kit, including a satellite dish, decoder and a one-month free premium package is available for KSh 3,999 including installation. Its packages range from the Zuku smart at KSh 499 per month with 66 channels to Zuku Asian package at KSh 1150 per month with 66 channels.

At the lower end of Kenya’s Pay tv market is Azam tv, owned by the Bakhresa Group, a Tanzanian conglomerate led by billionaire Said Salim Bakhresa.

Analysts point to rising costs of foreign content and high cost of living that has hit incomes of households, for the decline in pay tv services consumption.

Audiences now prefer streaming services and Pay tv providers have no choice but move with the changing consumer patterns that also seek unbundled offerings and mobile-friendly offers.

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