Song Wei (right), the head of direct to home digital television satellite at Pan Africa StarTimes with sales director Anderson Gichuru during the launch of the new Nova bouquet in Nairobi on April 28, 2015. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA
What you need to know:
StarTimes subscribers connecting to the satellite platform will now pay Sh4, 449, representing a 46 per cent decrease from the previous Sh6,499 on lowering of the cost of satellite dish and initial subscription fee.
Pay television company StarTimes Media has reduced its monthly subscription fees and connection charges on its home satellite service, intensifying competition in the lower end of the market.
StarTimes subscribers connecting to the satellite platform will now pay Sh4, 449, representing a 46 per cent decrease from the previous Sh6,499 on lowering of the cost of satellite dish and initial subscription fee.
The firm also lowered its monthly subscription fees on its Super bouquet to Sh1799 from Sh2,499, while those on Smart bouquet will pay Sh899 from Sh1,799.
The subscription fees on its Chinese and India bouquets remain unchanged at Sh1,799 and Sh899 respectively.
StarTimes move to lower its monthly subscription tariffs is in contrast to its rival DStv which in March increased its monthly subscription fees to cover the rising costs of operations.
“We intend to increase our footprint to the underserved Kenyans in the remote areas where the digital terrestrial coverage has not reached but can be accessed through the satellite,” said Alex Mwaura, StarTimes’s communication manager.
“That is what has also informed our price cuts to make the services more affordable.”
The Chinese multinational was until September running on digital terrestrial technology while its rivals Zuku and MultiChoice (the owner of the DSTv and GoTv brands) use both satellite and the terrestrial platform.
The launch of the satellite platform puts StarTimes at par with its rivals in terms of increasing its reach, with the company further raising competition with the price cuts.
MultiChoice this month increased the monthly fee of its Premium package to Sh8,200 per month from the previous Sh7,392, a 10 per cent increase.
Subscribers to the Compact Plus tariff plan will pay Sh5,550 from the previous Sh4,752, while those on Compact will now pay Sh3,250 up from Sh2,940.
Prices of its low-end tariff plans dubbed Family and Access — where it is facing stiff competition from Wananchi’s Zuku TV and StarTimes— were also increased.
Those on the Family plan will now pay Sh1,890, up from Sh1,760 while those on Access will pay Sh930 from Sh880. MultiChoice said the increase will affect subscribers across the continent.
The entry of Wananchi with its Zuku brand and StarTimes in the past three years has pushed the competition a notch higher, forcing DStv to roll out payment plans that cater for low-income earners.
Zuku’s Premium tariff plan retails at Sh3,999 after a 25 per cent cut in August last year.
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