Canal+ is set to cut the price of DStv’s top package by as much as 42% in large parts of Anglophone Africa as it rolls out new and updated bouquets following South Africa’s September overhaul.
So far, DStv has confirmed only in Kenya that its new top package replaces Premium. Elsewhere, the cuts vary widely from country to country, and in Nigeria the top price is unchanged.
TechCentral checked DStv’s country websites on Wednesday. Nine markets outside South Africa now show new four- or five-package line-ups. Here is how each new top-end package compares with Premium’s current price on that country’s comparison page:
| Market | Premium now | New top package | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uganda | USh320 000 | USh185 000 | –42% |
| Kenya | KSh11 700 | KSh7 300 | –38% |
| Zambia | K1 670 | K1 090 | –35% |
| Ghana | GH₵854 | GH₵570 | –33% |
| Malawi | MK138 000 | MK106 000 | –23% |
| Zimbabwe | US$75 | US$60 | –20% |
| Botswana | P860 | P800 | –7% |
| Namibia | N$1 045 | N$979 | –6% |
| Nigeria | ₦44 500 | ₦44 500 | 0% |
South Africa’s 17 September relaunch left prices unchanged for existing packages. When Canal+ reported third-quarter numbers last week, CEO Maxime Saada said the South African launch gave subscribers “more content, greater choice” and “better value for the same price”. He said the changes would “continue across English- and Portuguese-speaking Africa over the coming months”.
South Africa is where the pressure is. Canal+ said MultiChoice’s revenue fell 3% like for like in the first nine months of 2026, driven by lower subscription revenue in South Africa, though the decline eased to 2% in the third quarter. Higher revenue in most of MultiChoice’s other English-speaking markets partly offset the fall.
Namibia, whose dollar is pegged to the rand, now pays exactly South Africa’s satellite prices: N$979, N$500, N$479, N$339 and N$150 for its five packages. Its top package costs 6% less than Namibian Premium does now.
‘Tailored to individual markets’
In response to questions from TechCentral, Canal+ confirmed that DStv is refreshing its packages “across multiple African markets to simplify the line-up, provide customers with clearer choices and improve access to the content they value”.
“The changes are being introduced in phases, with package structures, pricing and implementation dates tailored to individual markets,” it said. “Kenya is one of several markets implementing the refreshed offering, while South Africa has its own updated package line-up, introduced in September 2026.
“Customers will be informed of the packages and pricing applicable to their respective markets ahead of implementation,” Canal+ added.
Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Ghana, Malawi and Nigeria get four packages. Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia get five, as South Africa did when it added Movies & Series.
In Kenya, Uganda and Zambia, the new top package costs exactly what Compact Plus, the tier below Premium, costs now. In the other six markets, it costs more than Compact Plus. DStv’s various country websites don’t say where Compact Plus subscribers will go, and Nigeria’s new-packages page still offers Compact Plus at ₦30 000 under “Other ways to watch on decoder”.
DStv’s Kenyan site says the new packages “launch in most markets in Africa on 5 November 2026”. DStv’s Tanzanian site says “something new is coming this November” and that DStv “is introducing a simplified package line-up”, but gives no prices. Its Mozambican, Angolan and Rwandan sites show no new line-up yet.
Kenya: the clearest picture
In Kenya, DStv’s announcement sets out a straight swap: Starter replaces Access, Select replaces Family, Sports replaces Compact and “the former DStv Premium package is now DStv Ultimate”. Against prices on DStv’s Kenyan comparison page, that makes the cuts 38% for Premium subscribers, 29% for Compact, 33% for Family and 48% for Access.
The new prices line up with existing tiers. Ultimate costs KSh7 300, the same as Compact Plus, so the price Compact Plus subscribers pay now buys the former Premium package. Starter, at KSh750, costs the same as DStv’s cheapest current Kenyan package.
At a rate of KSh7.86 to the rand, DStv Ultimate works out to about R930/month. That is below South African Premium’s R979 satellite price, but above the R799 it costs on DStv Stream or a 24-month contract. Exchange rates tell only part of the story, though: South Africa’s GDP per capita, at $6 598 in 2025, was nearly three times Kenya’s $2 363, according to the World Bank.
The Kenyan cuts come even as DStv gains subscribers there. Its direct-to-home satellite subscriptions rose 4.4% to 259 047 in the three months to June, according to the Communications Authority of Kenya. – © 2026 NewsCentral Media
