According to the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), DStv had 248,053 customers by the end of March 2026, down from 270,017 in December last year. This means the firm lost 22,450 customers in just three months, pointing to continued pressure in the market.
Zuku also recorded a similar trend, losing 17,161 customers over the same period. Its customer base dropped to 173,396 in March from 190,557 in December last year, adding to the overall slowdown in the sector.
The CA report indicates that competition and changing viewing patterns have affected all major players, with only a few operators managing to grow during the period under review.
Star Times and Azam TV were the only gainers, adding a combined 3,798 customers between January and March, even as the rest of the market contracted.
Overall, subscriptions across the four licensed direct-to-home (DTH) operators fell by 11 percent to 645,763 in March, down from 681,576 in December. The licensed DTH firms in Kenya are DStv, Zuku, Star Times and Azam TV.
“There was a general decline in subscriptions across DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television), DTH (Direct to home), and cable TV services,” CA says in the latest industry report.
DTH services deliver television content through satellite signals, while DTT relies on terrestrial digital transmitters.
The report links the drop to increased cost pressures on households, which have pushed many families to cut spending on services seen as non-essential, including pay television. At the same time, free-to-air stations and online streaming platforms accessed through mobile phones and smart TVs continue to attract more viewers.
DStv, which has long dominated the market, has faced steady losses since 2024 as cheaper alternatives and streaming services gain ground.
The company had 1.19 million active subscribers as at June 2024, but its earnings share in Kenya has also slipped. DStv revenues in Kenya, when measured as a share of total revenues across its markets, reduced to 7 percent in the year ended March 2025 from 8 percent a year earlier.
Price adjustments have also played a role in the decline. The company raised its subscription fees at least five times in three years in an attempt to stabilize its income and slow customer losses, with the latest change coming in August last year.
Under the revised pricing, the Premium package increased by Sh700 to Sh11,700 per month, while Compact Plus rose to Sh7,300 from Sh6,800. Other packages, including Compact, Family and Access, were also affected. However, DStv Lite remained unchanged at Sh750, making it the only package without a price change.
As competition intensifies and viewers continue shifting to alternative platforms, pay-TV operators are now under pressure to rethink pricing and content strategies in order to retain their shrinking customer base.