The World Cup is upon us.
If you’re in Kenya, how best do you watch it online?
There are two official outlets: Multichoice’s SuperSport channels which can be accessed on DStv and KBC, the country’s state-owned broadcaster.
The two have been, for years, almost always the go-to places to watch the World Cup. The order was disturbed a little last time but we are back to default settings.
That is as far as terrestrial (and digital) and satellite TV are concerned. Traditional TV, if you may. Now, what about us online people?
Well, as far as I’m concerned, I am afraid that they also remain the only official options, unlike last time.
1. KBC
There are several online platforms that will let you stream KBC live but, as far as I know, the national broadcaster won’t be offering any feed online. Their broadcast rights to the 2022 World Cup, as was the case in other editions bar 2018, is limited to free-to-air (FTA). Still, where you can find a feed, KBC will bring you some of the 64 matches – 28 matches, to be specific. The rest of the matches will be broadcast on KBC radio.
2. DStv (Now)
DStv Now is the online streaming side of good old DStv. And, yes, DStv has since killed the Now app and we just have a “DStv app” but, hey, old habits… For DStv subscribers, in addition to being able to watch the goings-on in Qatar via their satellite-dish-connected televisions, they can also stream the games and analyses through the DStv app which is available on the web, mobile (on Android, the Google Play Store), various smart TV platforms like Samsung’s, LG’s, Android TV and so on.
And, that is not all. DStv has since heeded to cries to separate its physical subscription from the digital side of things and you can now get access to the DStv service without necessarily having an IUC/smartcard number, something that used to be a requirement before. DStv Streaming is a thing (a dish and a decoder are no longer necessary) and, just like DStv (Now), you can access it via the DStv app on mobile, on the web, on your TV, wherever you can find it.
Obviously, DStv (and DStv Streaming) is not free – and it doesn’t come cheap. Also, in the case of DStv Streaming, there is the small matter of being limited to just one device at a time. Also, for those who will want Kiswahili commentary, for instance, that’s not an option even though it’s there for decoder viewers. So much for being modern.
3. Showmax
Showmax is another Multichoice property that has been providing live streams to popular sports for a while now. It may not have been doing so in the last World Cup but, it has prepared itself very well for this one. So well that, from the looks of it, it appears to offer a much better deal compared to what you get with DStv Streaming. It will offer all the World Cup games and it has the option of streaming in 4K! Well, if your internet connection can keep up.
Oh, and it goes without saying that you should be subscribing to the premium tier of Showmax, Showmax Pro, to get the all-you-can-eat World Cup football content and live matches.
So, which one shall it be?
