MultiChoice Africa cuts DStv subscription across East Africa in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique after rival StarTimes lowers prices and as pay-TV consumers struggle in tough African economies.

MultiChoice Africa will be cutting monthly DStv and GOtv subscription fees across East Africa with DStv and GOtv consumers who will be seeing a decrease in the monthly payments in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and some Mozambique packages.

MultiChoice East Africa's decision to lower fees comes after rival StarTimes lowered prices in Kenya in April 2019 and as pay-TV consumers struggle in tough African economies.

After China's StarTimes Kenya restructured the tiered-offering of its pay-TV services in Africa's largest pay-TV market in the east of the African continent, MultiChoice is following 5 months later and is now also lowering fees.

In response to a media enquiry MultiChoice Africa confirmed to TVwithThinus that it's adjusting and lowering the monthly bill of DStv and GOtv subscribers in Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique and Tanzania.

MultiChoice will also implement a price decrease in Mozambique from September on the DStv Portuguese packages that include DStv Bue, DStv Grande+, DStv Grande and DStv Facil, although DStv Business as well as GOtv Plus and GOtv Lite subscription fees in Mozambique will increase.

In Malawi also in East Africa, MultiChoice Malawi will be increasing fees for the DStv Family and DStv Access packages only.

"Not all markets where MultiChoice Africa operates will have the same price changes as each country has different cost structures influenced by local dynamics such as inflation, content costs, foreign exchange rates, local taxes and overheads required for each business," says Reatile Tekateka, MultiChoice Africa's group executive head of corporate affairs, told TVwithThinus.

"These are taken into account when setting prices for DStv and GOtv packages. We've done a lot of research into what pay-TV costs in other parts of the world and we believe that our DStv and GOtv services offer good value for money in the countries in which we operate."

In Uganda, MultiChoice Uganda will be cutting monthly DStv subscription fees by up to a third (30%) for some packages where the price of DStv Premium, DStv Compact Plus, DStv Compact and DStv Family are all being reduced.

Kenya will see an even bigger decrease, ranging between 5% to up to almost 37%.

MultiChoice Kenya in a statement about DStv price reductions from September in that country said that "Our aim is to make great entertainment accessible to more consumers in Kenya and we believe this move will grant more of our customers access to the complete world of exciting entertainment channels at a lower price."

DStv Premium in Kenya will see a monthly price reduction of 5% on the most expensive monthly package, while DStv Compact Plus will decrease by 13.46%, DStv Compact will go down by 21% and DStv Family will see a whopping 36.84% decrease. DStv Access will fall by 5%.

The former PR boss at struggling Econet's Kwesé TV, Reatile Tekateka resurfaces in the pay-TV biz at competitor MultiChoice Africa as its new corporate affairs boss.

The former PR boss at struggling Econet's Kwesé TV, Reatile Tekateka, who disappeared from the radar for a year and a half since 2018, has resurfaced at pay-TV competitor MultiChoice Africa where she has been appointed as the new corporate affairs boss.

Reatile Tekateka was previously the head of PR and communications at Econet Media's floundering Kwesé TV where she oversaw media liaison with the press for Econet's stillborn Kwesé Play video streaming service that is now being liquidated.

Reatile Tekateka jumped to Joe Public United in 2018 as a managing partner and has now joined MultiChoice Africa Holdings since August 2019 as the head of corporate affairs where she will be reporting to MultiChoice Africa CEO, Hennie Visser.

MultiChoice Africa calls Reatile Tekateka "a highly-experienced communications professional with deep skills in reputation management, corporate communications, PR, internal communications and stakeholder management".

Reatile Tekateka has an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business Science and a post-graduate diploma in business administration from the same institution.

"We are pleased with the appointment of Reatile who brings within MultiChoice Africa an impressive professional footprint in Africa," said Hennie Visser.

"Reatile will play a critical role in building and executing strategies that will assist MultiChoice Africa navigate diverse media, as well as a specialised and diverse set of skills and experience to navigate highly-complex and regulated industries across diverse geographies."