MultiChoice’s new owner, Canal+, is wasting no time restructuring the company’s distribution model. In a clear shift away from traditional satellite decoders, Canal+ has extended its partnership with Samsung to pre-install the DStv Stream app on all new Samsung Smart TVs sold in 18 African markets, including Kenya.

The rollout, which officially began on June 1, targets English- and Portuguese-speaking territories such as Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Angola, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This builds on Canal+ and Samsung’s existing strategic alliance that already covers over 40 markets across Europe, Asia, and Francophone Africa.

Out of the box, the DStv Stream app will now sit prominently on the Samsung home screen alongside global streaming heavyweights like Netflix and YouTube, meaning users will no longer need to manually search for or download the app.

The push for streaming amid cord-cutting

The timing of this hardware-level integration is not a coincidence. Traditional Pay TV is bleeding users as viewing habits shift fundamentally toward on-demand, internet-based streaming.

This move comes on the back of the latest sector statistics from the Communications Authority (CA) of Kenya, which revealed that the local Pay TV market lost a staggering 85,000 subscribers in Q1 2026 alone. DStv was among the major casualties shedding users during that period, highlighting the urgent need for a shift in strategy.

Canal+ isn’t blind to this cord-cutting reality. Having completed its takeover of MultiChoice last year, the French broadcaster has already moved to aggressively consolidate its streaming assets. Notably, the standalone Showmax service has been shut down and its content folded directly into DStv Stream, creating a single, centralized hub for the company’s entertainment and sports broadcasting.

David Mignot, CEO of Canal+ Africa and MultiChoice Group, emphasized that making content easier to access on connected devices is central to the group’s survival strategy.

"We are delighted to extend our longstanding partnership with Samsung across new English and Portuguese-speaking African countries. It marks a significant milestone in the synergies created by the combination of CANAL+ and MultiChoice Group. As viewing habits continue to evolve rapidly across the continent, strengthening the accessibility and discoverability of our content offer on connected devices is key. By expanding the availability of our applications on Samsung Smart TVs across key African markets, we are making it even easier for millions of MultiChoice Group's subscribers to seamlessly access the content that define the uniqueness of CANAL+ and MultiChoice Group experience".

For Kenyan consumers, especially sports fans relying on MultiChoice for the English Premier League, rugby, and the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026, the overarching message is clear: the future of DStv relies just as much on the app on your remote as it does on the dish on your roof.