Pay-TV provider MultiChoice has suffered a massive subscriber exodus in Kenya, losing more than 84 percent of its DStv customers in the year to June 30, 2025, following consecutive price increases and a surge in illegal streaming.
Data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) shows that active DStv subscribers plummeted from 1.19 million in June 2024 to just 188,824 a year later representing a staggering 84.13 percent decline.
The collapse coincided with repeated subscription hikes. In August 2025, MultiChoice raised fees by up to Sh700, only months after a Sh500 increase in November 2024 and another adjustment in April 2024.
Under the latest review, the Premium package rose to Sh11,700 from Sh11,000, having previously climbed from Sh10,500 in 2024. This meant the plan rose by Sh1,200 in just nine months.
The Compact Plus package increased to Sh7,300 from Sh6,800, while the Compact package went up to Sh4,200 from Sh3,900. The Family package rose to Sh2,250 from Sh2,100.
While MultiChoice defended the increases as part of its “annual subscription review,” industry watchers point to other factors fueling the subscriber drain.
Many households have turned to illegal streaming sites and grey-market IPTV services, especially amid tough economic times, as cheaper alternatives to premium pay-TV.
Analysts warn that unless MultiChoice revises its pricing strategy and adapts to changing consumer trends, it risks further erosion of its customer base in Kenya, where free-to-air channels and streaming platforms are steadily gaining ground.
