Multichoice Kenya plans to increase its pay TV charges by up to 10 percent starting April 1 in response to rising operational costs, the pay television company said on Thursday.
The higher charges for its various bouquets will see adjustments of between six percent and 10 percent for both DStv and GOtv customers.
However, some GOtv bouquets will remain unaffected by the price change.
“MultiChoice acknowledges the difficult economic climate in Kenya and thus has kept the increase at the lowest possible point while ensuring sustainability and provision of quality services,” said Multichoice Kenya in a statement on Thursday.
Customers on the DStv Premium tariff plan will pay Sh9,500 per month from the current Sh8,900, reflecting a 6.7 percent increase.
Subscribers on the Compact Plus tariff will pay Sh5,900 from Sh5,500 representing an increase of Sh400 or 7.2 percent.
Those on the Compact tariff plan will pay Sh3,300 from Sh3,000 representing a 10 percent increase while those on the DStv Family package will pay Sh1,750 up from Sh1,600 representing a 9.3 percent increment.
GOtv Supa customers will have to pay an extra Sh150 to access their channels. Currently, they are paying Sh1,599 monthly. Those on the GOtv Max bouquet will pay Sh1,349 from Sh1,249 representing an eight percent increase.
Customers on the lower bouquets such as GOtv Plus and GOtv Value will pay an additional Sh69 and Sh59 every month respectively. They are currently paying Sh930 and Sh590 respectively.
Those on GOtv lite will pay a constant fee of Sh199 per month. Customers on the GOtv Lite Quarterly plan will pay Sh500, which is the same price they are paying at the moment.
GOtv is one of the most popular entertainment brands in the country, catering to the middle class with cut-price packages.
The firm has in the last three years increased charges on its bouquets citing increased operational costs.
MultiChoice and other entertainment providers were big beneficiaries of lockdowns brought on by the pandemic in 2020 and partly in 2021.
PayTV firms, however, face the challenge of piracy and competition from online platforms such as Youtube and Netflix which has cut its prices in Kenya by an average of 37 percent.
The move by Netflix, which streams its content over the Internet, is designed to grow its market share in the competitive entertainment industry.
