DStv has recorded a major rebound in Kenya, with new data showing a sharp rise in active customers in the three months to September despite higher monthly charges.
The latest numbers from the Communications Authority of Kenya show that the service regained a large portion of its user base at a time when many households are still grappling with rising living costs.
The report indicates that DStv had 270,017 active subscribers by the end of September, up from 188,824 in June. This means the platform gained 81,193 more customers, translating to a 43 percent rise within a single quarter.
The surge came barely two months after MultiChoice Kenya raised the prices of its packages by up to Sh700 from August 1 in an effort to shore up earnings.
DStv had been facing a steep decline after losing 84 percent of its users in the year to June 2025, a drop linked mainly to what many viewed as expensive monthly packages. The firm had 1.19 million active accounts in June last year before the mass exits began.
Although the regulator did not explain what led to the recovery, it released the subscriber figures at a time when the cost of nearly all packages is higher. From August, the Premium package rose by Sh700 to Sh11,700 while Compact Plus increased from Sh6,800 to Sh7,300.
The changes also affected Compact and Family packages, marking the fifth price review in three years as the company tries to slow down shrinking revenues in the Kenyan market.
MultiChoice’s subscription revenue from Kenya, measured against its full footprint across different countries, dropped to seven percent in the year ended March 2025 from eight percent the previous year. This reflects a continued strain on the firm’s performance in the country.
The rise in customer numbers remains puzzling given that DStv has for years been struggling to retain users as many turn to free online streaming platforms, which remain illegal but widely accessed.
A tough economic period marked by stagnant pay and heavy taxes has also pushed many households away from pay television services, raising questions on what may have driven the recent rebound.
