DStv cuts prices by up to 42% across Africa: what changes on 5 November

DStv subscribers in much of Africa are about to pay less. Canal+, the French group that took over MultiChoice last year, is cutting the price of DStv’s top package by up to 42 percent and replacing six bouquets with four simpler ones. The changes start rolling out on 5 November, though Canal+ says dates and prices will vary by market.

What is changing?

In most markets the line-up becomes four packages: Starter, Select, Sports and Ultimate, which replaces Premium. The Sports package carries every English Premier League and UEFA Champions League match. Ultimate adds Formula 1, MotoGP, rugby, tennis, golf and cricket, depending on the country.

South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe keep a five-package set-up. South Africa had its own overhaul in September.

How big are the cuts?

The biggest falls are at the top. New monthly prices for the highest package, as reported by Legit.ng:

• Uganda: USh185,000, down from USh320,000 (42 percent)
• Kenya: KSh7,300, down from KSh11,700 (38 percent)
• Zambia: K1,090, down from K1,670 (35 percent)
• Ghana: GH₵570, down from GH₵854 (33 percent)
• Malawi: MK106,000, down from MK138,000 (23 percent)
• Zimbabwe: $60, down from $75 (20 percent)
• Botswana and Namibia: cuts of 6 to 7 percent

What about Ghana?

Ghana’s new prices are GH₵50 for Starter, GH₵100 for Select, GH₵250 for Sports and GH₵570 for Ultimate, Graphic Online reported. Full football coverage previously cost GH₵563, so football fans who move to Sports will pay less than half what they did.

The cuts follow pressure from the government over affordability since MultiChoice first agreed to lower Ghanaian prices in September 2025. Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George, who attended the launch in Accra, said: “The Ghanaian consumer is our ultimate interest.” Alex Okyere, chief executive of MultiChoice Ghana, stressed that the new prices are permanent: “This is not a promo.”

The launch came with a warning on piracy. The minister said the government was awaiting advice from the Attorney-General’s Department before a crackdown on illegal streaming and “ghost boxes”, unlicensed devices that carry pay-TV channels. Keabetswe Modimoeng, Canal+’s executive vice-president for public affairs, said protecting content was about “safeguarding livelihoods”.

And Nigeria?

Nigeria is not getting a cut at the top. Premium keeps its name and its price of ₦44,500 a month, alongside Starter at ₦6,000, Select at ₦11,000 and Sports at ₦21,000, Nairametrics reported. MultiChoice Nigeria chief executive Kemi Omotosho said the focus was “giving subscribers better value and access to the entertainment they love”.

Why now?

DStv has been losing viewers. In Nigeria alone, MultiChoice lost 1.4 million subscribers between March 2023 and March 2025 as inflation squeezed households. In Kenya, its base of active decoders fell from about 270,500 at the end of 2025 to about 248,000 by the end of March, according to Broadcast Media Africa. The company also blames piracy for lost revenue.

Canal+ bought MultiChoice for about $3 billion in September 2025. Its bet now is that lower prices will win back more paying customers than they cost. Nzola Miranda, chief executive of MultiChoice Kenya, put the choice simply: “You either increase prices, you get more money from fewer people.”

Sources: Graphic Online; Legit.ng, 29 October; Nairametrics, 27 October; Broadcast Media Africa, 2 November; Bandwidth Blog, 29 October.

Top photo: Ghana fans watch the Black Stars play Uruguay on television during the 2010 World Cup (illustrative file photo). Photo: Ben Sutherland, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0