Pay-television provider DStv lost 22,450 customers in the three months ended March this year, piling pressure on the broadcaster amid stiff competition from streaming services and free-to-air TV.
Fresh data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) shows DStv had 248,053 customers at the end of March 2026, an 8.3 percent drop from 270,017 in December last year.
A combination of economic hardships and changing viewer habits has shaken pay-television providers, notably DStv and the Wananchi-owned Zuku, eating into their once-dominant market shares.
The CA data further shows that Zuku lost 17,161 customers in the three months ended March, reducing its customer base to 173,396 from 190,557 in December last year.
‘There was a general decline in subscriptions across DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television), DTH (Direct-to-Home) and cable TV services,” the CA said in its latest industry report.
DTH refers to television programming delivered via satellite, while DTT uses land-based digital transmitters to distribute signals.
There are currently four licensed DTH firms in Kenya – DStv, Zuku, StarTimes and Azam TV. StarTimes and Azam TV, however, gained a combined 3,798 customers in the three months to March.
Overall, subscribers across the four television service providers fell 5.3 percent to 645,763 in March from 681,576 in December last year.
A rising cost of living has forced many households to cut spending on non-essential items as incomes fail to keep pace. The cuts have hit services such as pay television.
DStv has borne the biggest hit among the four providers, with its active subscriber base shrinking significantly since 2024, largely due to pricey packages and the growing availability of streaming alternatives.
The company had 1.19 million active subscribers as at June 2024. DStv revenues in Kenya, expressed as a share of revenues across all markets where it operates, fell to seven percent in the year ended March 2025 from eight percent a year earlier.
Online streaming sites, some of which are illegally accessed via mobile phones or cast on television, have significantly eroded some of DStv’s traditional mainstays, including live sports and entertainment.
Price increases
DStv increased the cost of its packages in the Kenyan market at least five times in three years in a bid to arrest declining revenues and customer losses.
The latest increase was in August last year, with the Premium package rising by Sh700 to Sh11,700 a month, while Compact Plus increased to Sh7,300 from Sh6,800.
DStv’s Compact, Family and Access packages were also affected by the price review. DStv Lite, the cheapest package, was the only one whose price remained unchanged at Sh750.
The pay-TV provider is now part of French media conglomerate CANAL+, following the completion of its 35 billion rand (Sh280.7 billion) acquisition of parent company MultiChoice Africa.
The deal was completed on September 22, 2025, with attention now turning to how the French group will seek to arrest DStv’s dwindling fortunes in markets such as Kenya.