Kenya’s pay TV sector also grew significantly in the first quarter of the new financial year 2025/26, led by MultiChoice brands DStv and GOtv, according to the recently released Sektor Statics Report by the Communications Authority of Kenya.
The information in the report indicates that overall broadcasting subscriptions stood at a 13.7 percent growth to a total of 1.68 million by September 2025, from a previous quarter recorded at 1.47 million. This is a reflection of increased efforts by media broadcasters to grow their subscriber base, as well as growing competition driven by increased digital connection among Kenyan citizens.
However, the segment where there was most observed growth was in the Digital Terrestrial Television market segment, where GOtv came forth as the key driver of additions in new subscriptions. The service had more than 129,000 new subscribers in the period, taking the total to 444,007, thus registering an impressive 41.2% expansion from June 2025.
An overall robust performance was recorded in the Direct-to-Home (DTH) sector as subscription numbers improved by 13.9 percent to 686,604. DStv registered the highest progress in this group as its subscription numbers expanded by 43.0 percent to 270,017 compared with 188,824 in the preceding quarter. This is attributed by analysts to its substantial coverage through satellites as well as entertainment programming.
As provided by the CA, the rise in both the number of DTT and DTH subscribers is being fuelled by the overall developments in the digital environment of Kenya. This includes the enhanced penetration of smartphones, improved internet speeds, and the usage of mobile money services.
Industry observers highlight the emerging trends in Kenya’s broadcast industry, which is taking on a dimension of ‘hybrid’ media consumption, with most media consumers using both traditional TV and online media. This has encouraged media houses to increase the level of content investment in genres such as dramas, documentaries, reality TV, and sports programs, which has helped boost audience loyalty. On the advertising side, the growing number of subscribers is also luring more advertisers, and attaching more targeted advertisements.
However, according to experts, while anticipating a tremendous growth in subscribers, the most crucial task for pay TV service providers will be maintaining growth alongside, due to fierce competition from global and regional streaming services.
