Canal+ and MultiChoice will cut DStv subscription packages from six to four across most African markets from 5 November 2026. The restructuring forms part of an “Expect More” campaign aimed at affordability and subscriber growth.
The new tiers are Starter, Select, Sports and Ultimate. The existing Premium package will be rebranded Ultimate in most markets. Nigeria will retain Premium as its highest tier. South Africa and Botswana will keep five packages.
Nigerian prices will be ₦6,000 for Starter, ₦11,000 for Select, ₦21,000 for Sports and ₦44,500 for Premium. Ghana’s tiers will cost GH¢50, GH¢100, GH¢250 and GH¢570. Kenya’s will range from KES750 to KES7,300, down from KES11,700 for the previous top package. Uganda’s will run from Shs25,000 to Shs185,000.
The Sports package will carry every English Premier League and UEFA Champions League match, alongside WWE and UFC programming. Ultimate subscribers will receive additional content including Formula One, MotoGP, cricket, rugby, tennis and golf, depending on the market.
This mirrors the economics of pay-TV across Africa, where subscription fatigue has collided with inflation. MultiChoice Nigeria lost 1.4 million subscribers between March 2023 and March 2025. That represented 77 per cent of the group’s subscriber losses across its Rest of Africa operations. The company blamed inflation, fuel scarcity and broader economic pressure.
The response has been incremental. MultiChoice Nigeria cut decoder prices by 50 per cent from ₦20,000 to ₦10,000 in June 2025. It ran promotional upgrades. In September 2025, MultiChoice Ghana agreed to reduce prices after government pressure. Canal+ announced a €100 million investment plan in March 2026 to revive growth.
MultiChoice Kenya CEO Nzola Miranda framed the strategic shift plainly. “You either increase prices, you get more money from fewer people, or you increase the number of customers, even if they pay less,” he said.
The human stakes are about what Nigerians can afford to watch. A family paying ₦44,500 monthly for Premium is paying more than half the national minimum wage for television. At ₦6,000, Starter becomes accessible to a household with a modest entertainment budget. The question is whether lower prices offset the revenue lost from higher-paying subscribers.
Winners and Losers
Winners: Subscribers, who gain lower entry prices and a sports tier with full Premier League and Champions League coverage. Canal+, which gains a chance to stabilise MultiChoice’s subscriber base. Football fans, who no longer need the top tier to watch live matches.
Losers: Premium subscribers who valued general entertainment more than sport, whose package is being repurposed. MultiChoice, which accepts lower average revenue per user in exchange for volume. Rival streaming services, which face a cheaper DStv bundle.
Bottom Line: DStv is trading price for volume. That works if the new subscribers stay. It fails if existing Premium customers downgrade to Sports and revenue falls faster than the base grows.