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StarTimes, alongside GoTV, are undeniably two of the most widespread terrestrial and satellite TV service providers in Sub-Saharan Africa. And like its traditional nemesis, GoTV, StarTimes also allows its customers to pay for its TV services using one Paybill number.
We are talking about the StarTimes Paybill number 585858, which you can use to renew your StarTimes bouquet subscription and pay for bouquet upgrades and downgrades. So, ideally, you should be a registered MPESA user to use this Paybill number.
StarTimes also allows other mobile money payments and bank deposits, depending on where you are in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, for the sake of this post and the Kenyan market in particular, we shall focus on the country’s leading mobile payment service provider, MPESA.
We’ll mainly focus on the following:
- How do I pay for StarTimes via MPESA Paybill?
- How much do I pay monthly for StarTimes packages?
- Is StarTimes ON free?
- Can I watch StarTimes on my phone for free?
- How do I log into my StarTimes account?
- How do I clear errors on StarTimes after payment?
- And how do I contact StarTimes Kenya?
Let’s dive in!
How to Pay StarTimes Via MPESA Paybill Number?
Remember, you must use Paybill Number 585858 to pay for StarTimes in Kenya using an MPESA-registered line. Generally, here’s how to pay StarTimes subscription with MPESA:
- Go to MPESA on your Safaricom line or launch the MPESA app
- Tap on ‘Lipa Na MPESA’ and choose ‘Paybill’
- Enter the StarTimes Paybill business number 585858
- Enter your StarTimes IUC Code or smartcard number under ‘Account Number’
- Input the amount you wish to pay to StarTimes and MPESA PIN
- Confirm the payment and tap ‘Send’
- Wait for confirmation messages from StarTimes and MPESA
How Much Do I Pay Monthly for StarTimes Packages?
The cost of monthly StarTimes packages depends on the package itself. Currently, StarTimes offers three packages under its terrestrial TV service lineup (Nyota, Basic, and Classic) and four bouquets under its satellite TV roster (Nova, Smart, Super, and Chinese).
Let’s discuss them briefly:
1. StarTimes Nyota Bouquet
Monthly Subscription: Ksh 329
Number of Channels: 35+
StarTimes Nyota is overall the cheapest bouquet by StarTimes. At a monthly subscription of Ksh 329, you get over 35 channels, most of which are free-to-air (FTA) local channels.
Here’s a table showing the channels you can expect from the Nyota bouquet:
| Category | Channels |
| Local FTA | KBC, NTV Kenya, K24, Citizen TV, KTN, KTN News, and Ebru Africa |
| International News | Aljazeera and CGTN News |
| Religion | God TV, Iqraa, and Family TV |
| Movies | AMC Movies, ST Zone, and ST Kungfu |
| Kids | Jim Jam, Smile, Elimu TV, and Akili Kids |
| Sports | ST Sports Focus |
| Music | PPP TV |
| Others | ST Sino Drama, ST Swahili, E Stars, MBCI, Rembo TV, and Border TV |
2. StarTimes Basic Bouquet
Monthly Subscription: Ksh 749
Number of Channels: 56+
StarTimes Basic offers you what you get from Nyota and a little more for the whole family. At a monthly subscription of Ksh 749, you get over 56 channels, and here’s a table highlighting the most popular ones:
| Category | Channels |
| Local FTA | KBC, NTV Kenya, K24, Citizen TV, KTN, KTN News, and Ebru Africa |
| International News | Aljazeera, CGTN News, BBC News, Sky News, and CNC World |
| Religion | God TV, Iqraa, Emanuel TV, and Family TV |
| Movies | AMC Movies, ST Zone, ST Kungfu, TNT Africa, PBO, Bolly Movies, and FilmBox Action |
| Kids | Jim Jam, Smile, Elimu TV, Akili Kids, ST Kids, Toonami, DaVinci, and Kartoon |
| Sports | ST Sports Focus, ST Sports Life, Sports Arena, Real Madrid TV, MUTV, and ESPN |
| Music | PPP TV, Trace Mziki, and Trace Africa |
| Novella | Novela E, Star Life, Zee One, ST Bollywood, Zee Cinema, and Sino Drama |
| Documentary | Nat Geo Wild and CGTN Documentary |
| Others | ST Sino Drama, ST Swahili, E Stars, MBCI, Rembo TV, Border TV, Mambo TV, TV3, TDC, BTV, CBS Justice, and CBS Reality |
3. StarTimes Classic Bouquet
Monthly Subscription: Ksh 1,149
Number of Channels: 75+
StarTimes Classic is the highest terrestrial TV bouquet. Not only is it the costliest, but it also has the highest number of channels (75+) on the terrestrial wavelength. Overall, you get everything on the Basic Bouquet and more.
There’s just everything for the whole family. Kids have dedicated kids channels, and the entire household has more documentary, movie, sports, and music channels.
StarTimes Classic goes for Ksh 1,149 per month, and here’s a breakdown of the channels:
| Category | Channels |
| Local FTA | KBC, NTV Kenya, K24, Citizen KTV, TN, KTN News, and Ebru Africa |
| International News | Aljazeera, CGTN News, BBC News, Sky News, CNC World, and Fox News |
| Religion | God TV, Iqraa, Emanuel TV, and Family TV |
| Movies | AMC Movies, ST Zone, ST Kungfu, TNT Africa, PBO, Bolly Movies, FilmBox Action, ST Movie Plus, and ST Nollywood |
| Kids | Jim Jam, Smile, Elimu TV, Akili Kids, ST Kids, Toonami, DaVinci, Kartoon, Nickelodeon, and Baby TV |
| Sports | ST Sports Focus, ST Sports Life, Sports Arena, Real Madrid TV, MUTV, ESPN, ESPN 2, World Football, ST Sports Premium, and W Sports |
| Music | PPP TV, Trace Mziki, and Trace Africa |
| Novella | Novela E, Star Life, Zee One, ST Bollywood, Zee Cinema, Sino Drama, and ST Novela E Plus |
| Documentary | Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic, and CGTN Documentary |
| Others | ST Sino Drama, ST Swahili, E Stars, MBCI, Rembo TV, Border TV, Mambo TV, TV3, TDC, BTV, CBS Justice, CBS Reality, ST Bongo, and E! |
4. StarTimes Nova Bouquet
Monthly Subscription: Ksh 549
Number of Channels: 63+
StarTimes Nova is the Nyota equivalent of the satellite platform. However, unlike Nyota, Nova has more channels (63+) and costs slightly more (Ksh 549 per month). You get FTA channels such as KBC, NTV Kenya, K24, Citizen KTV, TN, KTN News, Ebru Africa and many more.
Other notable channels on StarTimes Nova are Jim Jam, Star Gold, Dadin Kowa, E Africa, TVC News, StarPlus, Zee Cinema, CGTN, Aljazeera, Dove TV, ST Guide, Sports Focus, ST Swahili, DaVinci, TBC, CGTN Documentary, ST Gospel, Mindset, Channel 10, CNC World, TS5 Monde, Novela F, France 2, CCTV 4, MCM Top, France 3, France 5, CGTN, France 24, SFR Sports 4, Elimu TV, KTO, Sanyuka, Raj, SCI, Border TV, AMC HD, Rembo TV, Nollywood F, and BTV.
5. StarTimes Smart Bouquet
Monthly Subscription: Ksh 1,199
Number of Channels: 115+
StarTimes Smart costs Ksh 1,199 monthly and offers you over 115 channels for the entire family. On it are all the channels on the Nova bouquet and much more.
In addition to the channels on Nova bouquet (highlighted earlier), you also get these channels from StarTimes Smart: Bollywood HD Africa, ESPN, Extremely Nigeria, Wap TV, EATV 5, Clouds TV, Kasi Music, Boing, CGTN Français, Yoruba, Africa News, Fox Life, Nat Geo World, ST Premium HD, World Football HD, ST Movies, Trace Mziki, ST Naija, Canal J, MUTV HD, Wasafi TV, BE TV, CINAF, Adepa, DW, Toonami, Real Madrid TV, and Kartoon.
6. StarTimes Super Bouquet
Monthly Subscription: Ksh 1,799
Number of Channels: 134+
StarTimes Super offers you all the channels on StarTimes Smart and more. At a monthly subscription of Ksh 1,799, you get at least 134 channels. Some additional channels on StarTimes Smart that you find on Startimes Super include Africa 2, Ebony Life, Baby TV, Bloomberg, Nollywood Plus, Movies Plus, Classica, Novela E Plus, Soul, and NSNBC.
7. StarTimes Chinese Bouquet
Monthly Subscription: Ksh 2,300
Number of Channels: 153+
StarTimes Chinese offers everything on the Super bouquet and much more. The extra channels specifically target the Chinese people or those interested in Chinese TV shows, reality programs, news, and actions, and they include the following:
- CNE
- Tianjin TV
- CCTV 4
- China Movies Channel
- CTI Asia
- Dragon TV
- Phoenix 4
- Beijing TV
- Southern TV
- Hanan World
- CCTV 6
- CCTV 9
- Jiangsu TV
- CCTV Entertainment
StarTimes Chinese costs Ksh 2,300 monthly, and you get over 153 channels.
StarTimes Paybill and Packages Summary
| Package | Monthly Subscriptions | Number of Channels |
| Nyota | Ksh 329 | 35+ |
| Basic | Ksh 749 | 56+ |
| Classic | Ksh 1,149 | 75+ |
| Nova | Ksh 549 | 63+ |
| Smart | Ksh 1,199 | 115+ |
| Super | Ksh 1,799 | 134+ |
| Chinese | Ksh 2,300 | 153+ |
Is StarTimes ON Free?
StarTimes ON is a mobile app by StarTimes Africa that you can link to your smartcard number or decoder to enjoy Live TV, TV shows, and catchup programs conveniently using your smartphone or tablet.
Once you link the app to your decoder or StarTimes smartcard number, you don’t have to do any subscriptions, which means it’s free. But again, you’ve to connect to the internet, which is an additional cost you’ve to factor in.
Remember, you can also use StarTimes ON to make payments for your StarTimes subscriptions. Here’s how to go about it:
- Download StarTimes ON from Google Play or the App Store
- Launch the app on your handheld device, register for a Startimes user account, and sign in using your email address or mobile number
- Link the account to your existing StarTimes decoder if you have one
- Choose your preferred bouquet and payment method and follow the prompts
Can I Watch StarTimes On My Phone for Free?
You can watch StarTimes on your phone for free if you download StarTimes ON and link it to your StarTimes decoder or smartcard number. But still, you’ll need to incur the internet costs. So, it’s not absolutely free.
How Do I Log into My StarTimes Account?
The easiest way to log into your StarTimes account is to download StarTimes ON on your phone and set up an account. You can then seamlessly log in using your email address or mobile number to make payments, change bouquets, or catch up with the latest programs and Live TV.
How Do I Clear Errors After StarTimes Payment?
Sometimes, errors appear on the screen after paying StarTimes. You can, however, clear them to start enjoying the programming by dialing *858# using the same phone you used to make the payments. Then choose ‘MPESA error payment correction’ (usually option 5), enter your StarTimes 11-digit smartcard number, and submit it.
How Do I Contact StarTimes Kenya?
You can contact StarTimes Kenya using any of these options:
- Headquarters: Victoria Towers, Kilimanjaro Avenue, Opposite Crowne Plaza, Nairobi
- Phone: +254 719 077 077
- Email: info.ke@StarTimes.com.cn
- Facebook and Instagram: @StarTimesKenya
Concluding Thought:
The next time you want to pay for StarTimes, consider using the StarTimes Paybill number 585858. That allows you to renew your subscription and change packages. If you’ve any concerns, reach out to the StarTimes help desk using the contacts shared above, and they will be able to assist you.
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