MultiChoice Kenya will increase its pay-TV charges by up to Sh400 from August 1 in response to currency depreciation and rising costs of doing business, making it the second adjustment this year.
The higher charges for its various bouquets will see adjustments between Sh50 and Sh400 for DStv customers, translating to between four percent to six percent.
The price increases are set to add more pressure on consumers who are already battling increasing costs of living.
Some GOtv bouquets for Lite, Value and Plus have remained unaffected, while Max and Supa increased by Sh100 and Sh150, respectively.
MultiChoice said the prices are inclusive of value-added tax.
The increase comes after another increase made in April, raising the charges by between six percent and 10 percent due to rising operational costs.
The review follows soaring inflation above the government’s preferred cap of 7.5 percent since June last year.
The Kenya shilling has also breached the 140-unit mark trading against the US dollar, losing Sh17.15 or 13.9 percent since the beginning of the year, increasing the cost of services and imported supplies.
“MultiChoice will implement a price adjustment on some of their DStv and GOtv packages effective 1 August 2023,” the company stated in a statement.
Customers on the DStv Access will pay Sh1,300 up from Sh1,250, reflecting a four percent increase, while those on DStv Family will pay Sh1,850 from Sh1,750, reflecting a 5.7 percent increase.
DStv Compact will pay Sh3,500 from Sh3,300, a 6.1 percent increase, while DStv Compact Plus will pay Sh6,200 from Sh5,900, a 5.1 percent increase, and DStv Premium will pay Sh9,900 from Sh9,500, reflecting a 4.2 percent increase.
Those on GOtv lite will pay a constant fee of Sh199 per month.
Customers on the GOtv Max bouquet will pay Sh1,449 from Sh1,349, while the GOtv Supa bouquet will be charged Sh1899 from Sh1749.
GOtv is one of the most popular entertainment brands in the country, catering to the middle class with cut-price packages.
The firm has in the last three years increased charges on its bouquets citing increased operational costs.
MultiChoice and other entertainment providers were big beneficiaries of lockdowns brought on by the pandemic in 2020 and partly in 2021.
Pay-tv firms, however, continue to face the challenge of piracy and competition from online platforms such as YouTube and Netflix, which has cut its prices in Kenya by an average of 37 percent.
The move by Netflix, which streams its content over the Internet, is designed to grow its market share in the competitive entertainment industry.
