StarTimes Kenya is a subsidiary of Star Times Media. It is among well-known pay-TV brand in Kenya.
Just like GOtv and other service providers, this TV transmission platform has, in the past, been forced to slash its prices in 2016 due to mounting competition.
StarTimes was among the pay-TV companies that entered the Kenyan market after the decision to switch to digital platforms was made.
The company offers both pay and Free to Air (FTA) set top boxes.
The FTA set top boxes do not accrue monthly subscriptions charges. Subscribers are only expected to pay once after which they can access all local TV and radio stations.
This service can be used with StarTimes Tablet and Smartphone. Also, a subscriber can upgrade to pay TV.
FTA also includes free Pang and Signet channels.
You get the pay-TV services once your set top box is installed. Monthly charges vary as there are several bouquets. The higher the charges, the higher the number of channels you access.
You can convert any pay-TV bouquet into FTA at a fee.
StarTimes Kenya packages are divided into two:
DDT (Digital Terrestrial Technology) Bouquet and DTH (Direct to Home) Bouquet. DDT bouquet operates under a terrestrial platform while DTH runs on a satellite platform.
The table below shows DDT packages, channels, and prices:
| Package | Number of Channels | Charges |
| Nyota | 10+ | Ksh. 259 |
| Basic | 37+ | Ksh. 599 |
| Classic | 57+ | Ksh. 999 |
| Unique | 76+ | Ksh. 1499 |
The table below gives a summary of DTH bouquets, channels, and prices:
| Package | Channels | Charges |
| Nova+ | 35+ | Ksh. 449 |
| Smart | 69+ | Ksh. 899 |
| Super | 100+ | Ksh. 1,499 |
| Chinese | 12+ | Ksh. 1,999 |
| Indian | 7+ | Ksh. 899 |
StarTimes has introduced the HD Combo decoder that can receive both DDT and DTH signals. The decoder retails at Ksh. 1,999.
It comes with a free one-month DTH Super Bouquet and one-month DTH Unique Bouquet. You can get a StarTimes DVB-T2 set-top box for pay-TV or FTA StarTimes packages.
Super and Unique bouquets are perhaps the biggest in terms of channels offered. They are also among the highly priced in the Satellite and Terrestrial platforms.
StarTimes also offers a self-service option to subscribers. Here, you can learn more about StarTimes and its various products.
You can also learn information about dealers, USSD service, payment options, online activation, and mobile activation.
In my opinion, other pay-tv services particularly Zuku and GOtv offer better pay-TV experiences. However, StarTimes signals are strong in some areas; hence, you can try it if you like the packages.
Payment Methods
StarTimes offers various payment options. You can make payments via M-Pesa (Business No: 585858), Airtel Money (Business name: Startimes), Orange Money (Business No: 585858), iPay, and various banks.
StarTimes Customer Care Contacts
Tel: +254719 077 077, +254719 077 000
Email: Inquiries: [email protected]
Before purchase: [email protected]
After sales: [email protected]
You can also get in touch with StarTimes via Facebook or Twitter:
Facebook: Enjoy Digital Life
Twitter: Enjoy Digital Life
Also, their physical address is Victoria Towers, ground floor, Upper Hill, Nairobi.
their customer service is poor especially at the kfa branch Mombasa paid by cash at the cent re my decoder wasn’t activated the whole day,tried calling the line ,took time to be picked all the while being charged by the service provider and when the call was finally picked nothing was done until i carried the gadget right into their offices only for them to recheck the validity of my receipt.