Pay TV firm StartTimes has announced a subscription-restructuring program that will see its customers pay up to 50 percent less on some plans.
StarTimes, which was among the first company that was received in Kenya widely at the onset of digital migration, has been revising and honing its offerings to provide a competitive edge over rivals, as well as appeal to more customers by packaging extra and entertaining programs in its bouquets.
Its terrestrial transmission will see the demise of the Unique bouquet that usually costs KES 1,500. The Classic option takes over the axed plan at KES 749, making it the most premium option for DTT. All programs previously available in Unique will be in Classic now. This a massive drop in price (50 percent) and will definitely make a lot people very happy.
It should be noted that additional channels have supplemented the Classic bouquet, including National Geographic E, ST Movies Plus, FOX, Baby TV and Star Plus.
Those on a budget can also choose Basic and Nyota options that cost KES 599 and 259 respectively. At the same time, users who subscribe to Nyota or Basic can get access to Basic and Classic content for 7 days, respectively, before they can make up their mind whether the next higher bouquet is worth it.
Some adjustments have also been made for customers on satellite transmission. Specifically, viewers can now buy one of its three plans: Super at KES 1,499; Smart at KES 899 and Nova at KESM 499. Monthly subscription will also see customers access the next higher bouquet for a week.
Furthermore, StarTimes accepts flexible payments where customers can purchase a plan daily, weekly or monthly. Specifically, daily purchases go offline at midnight, so those interested may choose to make a purchase earlier during the day for maximum usage.
| Nyota | Basic | Classic | Nova | Smart | Super | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily | KES 25 | KES 60 | KES 85 | KES 40 | KES 85 | KES 125 |
| Weekly | KES 95 | KES 220 | KES 340 | KES 160 | KES 320 | KES 500 |
| Monthly | KES 259 | KES 599 | KES 749 | KES 499 | KES 899 | KES 1499 |
Users can also access content on the StarTimes smartphone app. The app can be linked to a user’s decoder to get access to content for free. Payments made via the app receive a 20 percent cut.
