Kenya’s broadcasting industry recorded a marginal contraction in the final quarter of 2025, driven by shifting consumer habits and growing competition from internet-based platforms, according to new data from the Communications Authority of Kenya.
- •Total subscriptions across digital terrestrial, satellite and cable platforms fell by 1.0% to 1.66 million in the three months to December.
- •The decline was led by digital terrestrial television (DTT), where subscriber numbers dropped 1.3%, with major platforms including GoTV and StarTimes shedding users during the period.
- •Satellite television also edged lower, down 0.7%, while cable television offered a rare bright spot, growing 2.7%on the back of modest gains by providers such as Zuku.
The figures point to a market undergoing structural change, where traditional broadcast services are increasingly competing with over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms, which are not fully captured in the regulator’s supply-side data.
Despite the decline in subscriber numbers, Kenya is still expanding its broadcast and communications infrastructure through increased spectrum allocation.
The number of assigned microwave links rose by 3.4% to 10,337, while FM broadcasting frequencies inched up to 971. Spectrum remains a critical backbone for both broadcasting and telecommunications, enabling everything from terrestrial TV transmission to mobile broadband services.
Courier sector diverges from postal decline
Beyond broadcasting, the report highlights a widening divergence within Kenya’s delivery ecosystem, with traditional postal services continuing to decline while courier operators expand.
Postal traffic, including letters and parcels handled by the national operator, fell across nearly all categories, with international parcels dropping as much as 17.7% and domestic parcels down 4.9%.
In contrast, private courier services saw strong growth in parcel delivery, particularly within the domestic market. Local courier parcels rose 14.1% to nearly 3.9 million items, while international incoming parcels increased 12.3%.
The trend underscores the rapid rise of e-commerce and logistics platforms, which are reshaping delivery demand away from traditional mail toward faster, trackable courier services.
