MultiChoice hikes DStv, GOtv subscriptions by 4% to 7% in Kenya, slashes Showmax price

Africa pay-TV provider MultiChoice has announced a price adjustment across its DStv, GOtv, and Showmax monthly subscription plans in Kenya, effective from August 1st, 2025. While DStv and GOtv plans saw an increase ranging from 4% to 7%, Showmax witnessed a significant reduction across various plans. 

According to a report by a Kenyan platform, MultiChoice explained that the development is a direct reflection of rising operational costs and investments in local and international content. Also, the South African-based company noted that the review is per its annual price adjustment. 

As this marks another round of adjustments, the price hikes come when customers are already seeing the products as being expensive and out of reach. The 1.2 million drop in active subscribers to 14.5 million, coupled with an 8% YoY drop in earnings, is a direct reflection of the customer’s current perception. 

In the latest price adjustment for various DStv packages, the Access plan increased from KES1,350 to KES1,450. The family plan rose from KES2,100 to KES2,250, the Compact plan from KES3,900 to KES4,200, the Compact Plus plan from KES6,800 to KES7,300, and the Premium plan from KES11,000 to KES11,700. However, the Lite plan saw no increment at KES750, and the newly introduced XtraView plan at KES1,700 per month. 

For the GOtv price adjustment, GOtv Value decreased from KES699 to KES599 while GOtv Plus remained unchanged at KES999. Conversely, GOtv Max increased from KES1,599 to KES1,699, Supa from KES2,099 to KES2,199, and Supa Plus from KES3,000 to KES3,199.

Unlike others, the Showmax plan witnessed an overall slash in its subscription plan, attributed to a growing competition from rivals such as YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video.  As such, the General Entertainment (GE) plan decreased to KES550 from KES650, GE Mobile to KES200 from KES300, and Premier League (mobile only) decreased to KES450 from KES500, among others.

Also Read: Multichoice to hike DStv, GOtv subscriptions by 21%, effective from March 1st 2024.

MultiChoice in a tight position across African markets

Over the past two years, MultiChoice Group has been in a devastating position resulting from growing pressures across several markets in Africa. According to reports, MultiChoice has lost 2.8 million subscribers and saw a $576.5 million negative impact as a result of the depreciation of African currencies against the US dollar since 2023.

The downturn, according to the pay-TV operator, is attributed to a combination of macroeconomic pressures, rampant piracy, intense competition from global streaming platforms, and substantial investments in its streaming service, Showmax.

“Although reflecting an improvement on FY24 trends, this indicates ongoing broad-based pressure across the group’s entire customer base,” MultiChoice told investors in the financial statement.

While there have been concerns over the depletion in its popularity, MultiChoice has continued to hike subscription prices across major markets such as Nigeria, Uganda, and South Africa.

For instance, MultiChoice has raised subscription fees over two years over the last three years in the Nigerian market. The first was in April 2023, another in November 2023, and the latest increment was announced in April 2024 and took effect on May 1. 

Multichoice increased subscription prices across various packages, so the cost of the DStv Compact bouquet rose from ₦15,700 to ₦19,000. The company blamed several factors, including high inflation, power grid collapse, and fuel scarcity, for the subscriber loss in Nigeria. The market also accounted for 77% of the subscriber loss recorded across its Rest of Africa (RoA) operations between 2023 and 2025.

In addition, the Group revealed that the impact of structural industry changes in video entertainment, such as the rise of piracy, streaming services, and social media, has materially affected its overall performance. 

To add to MultiChoice’s operational woes, the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) on Sunday, July 6, fined its Nigerian subsidiary a staggering  ₦766,242,500 for breaching the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDP Act). The investigation, which kicked off in the second quarter of 2024, uncovered serious reports of privacy breaches affecting subscribers.