MultiChoice Kenya is rebuilding DStv around four packages and lower prices. From 5 November its six bouquets give way to Starter, Select, Sports and Ultimate, according to TechTrendsKE, which calls it the biggest product update in years and the first major overhaul since the company became part of Canal+.
Old price, new price
- Starter, Sh750 a month (Access was Sh1,450): up to 116 channels, including a new SuperSport Kickoff channel with a live match of the week.
- Select, Sh1,500 (Family was Sh2,250): general entertainment and some Premier League and Champions League games.
- Sports, Sh3,000 (Compact was Sh4,200): every Premier League and Champions League match, plus Select's channels.
- Ultimate, Sh7,300 (Premium was Sh11,700): adds Formula 1, MotoGP, rugby, cricket, Grand Slam tennis and golf majors.
The comparisons with the packages they replace come from Tech-ish, which also reports that Compact Plus (Sh7,300) and Lite (Sh750) are being dropped without a named successor; DStv has not said where those subscribers will move. The same four packages and prices apply on the DStv Stream app. GOtv moves to four tiers too, from Easy at Sh300 to Sports at Sh3,000, and a 24-hour Swahili commentary channel, SuperSport Swahili, launches on 5 November for the Sports and Ultimate tiers.
Why now
Football is DStv's strongest hook, and TechTrendsKE says this is the first time Premier League and Champions League football has reached a cheaper tier. TechTrendsKE links the overhaul to subscriber losses across Africa as households cut back on pay-TV and turn to streaming services such as Netflix. Kenya's Communications Authority counted 259,047 active DStv satellite subscriptions at the end of June, according to Tech-ish.
"This marks a defining moment in our 30-year journey in Kenya," MultiChoice Kenya chief executive Nzola Miranda said. Canal+ has already cut package numbers in South Africa and Nigeria this year.
