From 1st November you will need more money to subscribe to DSTV packages, according to the latest price review by Multichoice Kenya.
- •The DSTV premium package, which is currently priced at KSh 10,500, will cost KSh 11,000 while the DSTV Compact Plus that goes for KSh 6,500 will be priced at KSh 6,800.
- •The DSTV Compact package will cost KSh 3,900 from its current KSh 3,700, while the DSTV Family which costs KSh 2,000 currently will be charged an additional KSh 100; the lowest DSTV package, DSTV Access, will be priced KSh 50 more from its current KSh 1,300.
- •This is the third time in a year Multichoice has increased the prices of its pay TV packages, attributing the hikes to the rising cost of doing business in Kenya.
In April this year, the prices for DSTV packages were hiked by 6%. Multichoice said that the review was made in response to the shilling’s woes and inflationary pressures. While the hikes may look diminutive on paper, households that use pay TV packages are in the long run, forced to restructure yearly budgets.
DSTV packages are becoming less popular as streaming gains traction. Multichoice is at an impasse, contemplating how they can save their traditional broadcasting models while tapping into the streaming industry with their Showmax department. In Africa, premium packages for streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are cheaper than the DSTV premium package.
Essentially, DSTV’s survival depends on live streaming international football matches in entertainment joints. This dominance is on the brink of exhaustion as illegal streaming websites remain prominent. Showmax monthly EPL plan is also a cheaper option that may undercut DSTV’s revenues.
In the latest financial report by Multichoice, the South African firm recorded a loss of US$ 38 million and a 9% decline in active subscribers for its services. In its East African market, pay TV services fell by 7%. Cratering fortunes were registered in its most robust markets in Nigeria and South Africa.
In July, Multichoice hiked prices of its pay TV packages in Nigeria prompting the country’s consumer protection authority to fine the company to a tune of 150 million Naira. The lawsuit accused Multichoice of exploiting consumers and hiking prices without a month’s notice.