Satellite TV Kenya

Kenyans are now spoilt for choice as they can access are several television stations crisp and clear as the country eventually completed its migration from analogue to digital TV broadcasting on March 30, 2015.

“StarTimes edged MultiChoice in terms of overall market share with 39% against 38%. The largest single platform was StarTimes DTT with 34% market share, followed by the MultiChoice DSTV satellite offering (20%) and its GOtv DTT service (18%). StarSat, the StarTimes DTH offering, accounted for a further 4%, ” the research reads.

Before we go to the Pay TV services in Kenya, it is good to not that digital migration did not mean paying monthly fees to watch TV programmes as there are at least 45 free-to-air (FTA) channels available via FTA set-top boxes.

For those who want to try the Pay-TV services, here are the available options:

StarTimes has two services: the Digital terrestrial television (DTT) and the Satellite TV (known as StarSat). DTT uses and aerial while the StarSat uses a satellite dish.

The least costly DTT option is its the Nyota Bouquet which charges KSh 149 monthly for 10 channels.

Basic Bouquet costs KSh 499 for about 33 local and international channels while Classic Bouquet goes for KSh 999 for 57 channels with dedicated sports channels like StarTimes Sport 2, Euro Sports News, Fox Sports and NBA TV.

StarTimes’ most priced DTT option is the Unique Bouquet that goes for KSh 1, 499 to access 76 channels.

StarSat options are: Nova (KSh 299 monthly for 35 channels), Smart (KSh 899 for 67 channels), Super (KSh 1, 799 for 95 channels) and Chinese (KSh 1, 799 for 12 Chinese channels and 67 other international ones).

Want out of monthly subscription? StarTimes has the option of paying a one-time fee of KSh 1, 800 to convert the Pay-TV set-top box to Free To Air at any StarTimes Customer Service Center.

2. DSTV

DSTV upset many of its subscribers when it announced new prices effective October 1, 2015 ‘necessitated by foreign exchange rate changes’. The continuous depreciation of the Kenyan Shilling against the US Dollar has made the prices go up, it said.

Here are the current prices of the DStv’s five bouquets; Premium, Compact Plus, Compact, Family and Access.

DSTV Compact PLUS has 74 channels at a monthly subscription on KSh 5, 550 while Compact goes for KSh 3, 250 for 72 channels.

DSTV Family has 56 channels for KSh 1, 890. The least priced is Access which has 46 channels for KSh 930 monthly.

DSTV Premium has 105 channels at a monthly subscription of KSh 8, 200 (set to go up to KSh 9, 400).

Value add services for the premium subscribers are: Catch Up for newly aired movies and the latest episodes of TV shows; BoxOffice for renting movies via the decoder; DStv Now for live TV; and SuperSport Live for live sports over the internet.

Zuku offers satellite and cable Pay TV services.

Zuku Satellite has three packages namely: Zuku Classic which has 66 TV channels and 51 radio channels for KSh 899 monthly fee; Zuku Premium has 98 TV channels and 51 radio channels for KSh 1, 299; and Asia package with 27 channels for KSh 999.

The cable option, Zuku Fiber, offers internet, TV and telephone services in Nairobi and parts of Mombasa.

The prices range from KSh 2, 799 for Infinite 1 package (1Mbps internet, 62 television channels and free Zuku calls) to Infinite 50 (50Mbps internet and similar number of channels); in between there is Infinite 10 (KSh 4, 099) and Infinite 20 (KSh 5, 299).

GOtv is a Multichoice’s DTT product that offers three packages; GOtv Lite, Plus and Value.

Users pay an annual fee of KSh 1, 800 to get nine television channels (six being local) and one audio channel on GOtv Lite.

GOtv Plus has 12 audio channels and 25 television channels for KSh 599 monthly while the Value package charges KSh 849 monthly for 36 television channels and 12 audio channels.

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