Nairobi, Jan. 4 -- Kenya's pay television industry endured a difficult 2025 as falling active subscriptions and shifting viewer habits weighed on the market.

Data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) show that in the first half of the year, most major pay TV operators recorded sharp declines in active customers. GoTV's active subscriber base fell by 13.2 percent from 362,543 to 314,520 between March and June, while DStv lost 18.2 percent, dropping from 230,777 to 188,824 over the same period.

Zuku's satellite and cable services also contracted, with cable subscriptions falling by nearly a fifth as households cut back on non-essential spending and increasingly turned to cheaper or free alternatives. Only StarTimes' direct-to-h...