Following its takeover of MultiChoice, Canal+ is reportedly planning to slash DStv decoder prices by up to 40% from November 1.
This development, first reported by TechCabal, marks the French media giant’s first major strategic step to revive the satellite TV brand and restore its footing across key African markets such as Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.
According to previous reports, DStv Kenya lost about 84% of its subscribers within a year, dropping from around 1.19 million active users in June 2024 to just 188,824 by June 2025.
The decline has been attributed to rising costs, inflation, and the growing appeal of on-demand streaming services that provide flexible payment models and personalized viewing options.
Under the new pricing model, Canal+ will offer the steepest discounts through online channels where decoders will drop by around 40%, while retail stores are expected to see slightly lower reductions of about 30%.
Kenya and Nigeria are among the markets expected to experience the most impact as the company targets renewed growth in regions where satellite television still holds strong household penetration.
To complement the price cuts, Canal+ is introducing several customer incentives. Between 7 and 9 November, all active DStv subscribers will enjoy Premium content at no additional cost during an Open Time Weekend.
Premium customers will also be able to stream on up to four devices at once through December, doubling the current limit.
Industry analysts see the decoder price cuts as an effort to boost subscriber acquisition and retention by making the hardware more affordable to new users.
However, the move carries risks since thinner hardware margins could pressure profitability in markets affected by currency instability and inflation.
For Kenyan households, the price cut by MultiChoice could reignite interest in DStv, especially among viewers who have shifted toward mobile-based streaming platforms.
Updated on 24/10/2024:
We reached out to Multichoice to clarify further on this development, who explained that the November 7th-9th offer will only be available to subscribers in the Southern African markets.
“MultiChoice, a CANAL+ owned company confirms that the upcoming DStv Open Timeweekend, taking place from November 7-9 2025, is an exclusive offer available only to active DStv decoder subscribers residing in South Africa and our Southern markets only (Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia & Eswatini),” the statement reads. “We acknowledge and appreciate the interest from our Rest of Africa audience.”
