MultiChoice Offers Former Showmax Users in Kenya DStv Stream at KES 550. The Catch Comes in Month 13

MultiChoice is offering former Showmax subscribers in Kenya a year of DStv Stream Compact at KES 550 ($4.25) a month, down from the standard KES 4,200 ($32.50). The rate holds for 12 months. After that, it reverts to the full KES 4,200, a jump of more than seven times.

On paper that reads as a generous send-off for Showmax loyalists, who lost their platform when the standalone service shut down on 30 April. Read it closely and it is something more familiar: a retention play built on an old price and a future cliff.

The number that actually matters

Before it closed, Showmax’s standalone Entertainment plan in Kenya cost KES 550 a month. That is the exact figure MultiChoice is now charging migrating users for DStv Stream Compact. So the company is not really discounting anything. It is letting these customers keep paying roughly what they paid before, for one more year, while moving them onto a different and pricier platform.

The “discount” only looks steep because it is measured against the KES 4,200 Compact rack rate, a price no Showmax subscriber was ever on. Showmax plans in Kenya ranged from KES 200 for Entertainment Mobile to KES 720 for the Entertainment and Premier League bundle. Against those numbers, KES 550 is in line with what most users already spent. For the cheapest mobile-only plans, it is actually a small increase.

What you get for the money is broader. Showmax had no live TV and limited sport. DStv Stream Compact carries over 100 live channels, the full SuperSport lineup including the Premier League, and the on-demand library, all on smart TVs and connected devices rather than just a phone. For a Showmax Premier League Mobile subscriber who paid KES 450, that is a real upgrade. The catch is the same for everyone: the bill becomes KES 4,200 in month 13.

Who qualifies, and the friction

The offer is only for people who subscribed to Showmax directly, including Showmax Premier League users, as long as their accounts stay active and paid up. Existing DStv customers are excluded, because they already receive Showmax content inside their packages.

There is no automatic migration. Subscriptions did not carry over. Former Showmax users have to create a new DStv Stream account to claim the rate. Anyone who chose not to move could request a refund on the unused part of their Showmax subscription. The transition started in May, with eligible customers getting free DStv Stream Compact to the end of the month before shifting onto the KES 550 plan.

One practical warning. The DStv Stream app is now the only way these users reach their shows, and we already reported that a recent update has locked some Android TVs out of the app, flagging certified Skyworth and TCL sets as “unsupported.” If you are signing up mainly to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup on a smart TV, test the app before you count on it.

Why MultiChoice is doing this

This fits a much bigger turnaround. Showmax lost roughly R4.95 billion (about $285 million) in the year to March 2025, and we already covered the shutdown and unpacked how MultiChoice’s own decisions undercut the service. Since Canal+ completed its roughly $2 billion takeover of MultiChoice in September 2025, the strategy has shifted towards cheaper entry points and keeping people inside one ecosystem. We already reported that DStv lost 84.2% of its active Kenyan subscribers between June 2024 and June 2025.

Folding Showmax into DStv Stream, freezing the 2026 price hike, and opening the entire World Cup to every tier are all parts of the same plan: stop the losses, then rebuild. The KES 550 offer is that plan applied to streaming. Keep the Showmax audience from drifting to Netflix or YouTube, give them a year to settle in, and hope enough of them stay when the real price arrives.

“Our priority is to ensure customers continue to have a home for the stories they love,” said Nzola Miranda, Managing Director of MultiChoice Kenya.

What to actually understand

For the next 12 months, KES 550 buys former Showmax users more than Showmax ever gave them, and for Premier League Mobile users it is a clear upgrade. The decision that matters is not today’s price. It is the one in month 13, when KES 550 becomes KES 4,200. Mark that date, watch for any cheaper streaming tier Canal+ may introduce before then given its plans for bundled pricing, and make sure the app works on your TV first.