MultiChoice has found an elegant solution to the problem of losing Showmax subscribers to Netflix and YouTube: a KES 550 entry price that buys loyalty for a year, and a KES 4,200 bill waiting at the end of it.
MultiChoice is offering former Showmax subscribers in Kenya access to DStv Stream Compact at a heavily discounted rate of KES 550 ($4.25) per month for 12 months following Showmax's shutdown on April 30, 2026. After the promotional period expires, the subscription will revert to the standard monthly price of KES 4,200 ($32.50), a 663% jump that subscribers will need to consciously plan for.
The transition began in May, with eligible customers receiving free access to DStv Stream Compact through the end of the month before being moved onto the discounted plan. The offer applies to direct Showmax subscribers, including Showmax Premier League users, provided they maintain active subscriptions and keep payments up to date. Existing DStv customers are excluded because they already receive Showmax content through their packages.
Those who chose not to make the switch could request a refund on the unused portion of their Showmax subscription. Subscribers will not move across automatically; they must sign up for DStv Stream and create a new profile.
The content continuity pitch is real. Showmax Originals and selected titles have been moved into a dedicated Showmax section within the DStv Stream app, preserving Kenyan productions including Single Kiasi, The Mommy Club NBO, Adam 2 Eve, Big Girl Small World, and The Real Housewives of Nairobi titles that built Showmax's local identity and gave it competitive differentiation against international streamers.
The broader promotional package gives the KES 550 deal additional context. MultiChoice has frozen DStv subscription prices for 2026, introduced a bill-splitting feature on the MyDStv app, cut hardware prices by up to 57%, and launched a DStv Coins loyalty programme that has already seen over 20 million coins redeemed, part of an affordability push designed to stop subscriber losses in a market where competition from free-to-air digital channels, YouTube, and Netflix has intensified sharply.
The commercial logic behind the offer is straightforward. Showmax lost roughly R4.95 billion ($285 million) in the year to March 2025, and Canal+'s roughly $2 billion takeover of MultiChoice in September 2025 has since driven a strategy pivot toward cheaper entry points and ecosystem consolidation to stop the losses first, then rebuild from a unified platform.
MultiChoice Kenya Managing Director Nzola Miranda was careful to frame the move in customer terms: "Our priority is to ensure customers continue to have a home for the stories they love."
There is, however, one practical warning for prospective subscribers: a recent DStv Stream app update has locked some Android TVs out of the platform, flagging certified Skyworth and TCL sets as "unsupported." For anyone signing up primarily to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which MultiChoice has opened to every subscription tier, testing the app before committing would be prudent. The KES 550 deal is generous. Month 13 is the real question.
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