GOtv vs StarTimes: Easy ₦4,000 or Nova ₦2,100 a Month, Which Is Better?

StarTimes wins on price if all you want is everyday TV on an antenna. Nova (Antenna) costs ₦2,100 a month, against ₦4,000 for GOtv Easy, now the cheapest GOtv tier. You can also pay StarTimes by the day, which GOtv doesn't allow.

For a whole family weighing GOtv vs StarTimes, the real contest sits at ₦6,000, where GOtv Starter and StarTimes Classic (Antenna) cost exactly the same every month. Football settles the rest. Premier League fans need GOtv Sports, while LaLiga fans will find StarTimes Classic the cheaper way in.

If you're still looking for Jolli or Max, stop searching: GOtv replaced both with four tiers called Easy, Starter, Select and Sports.

GOtv vs StarTimes, tier by tier

Prices as at 9 November 2026, with AidaPay cashback. 'Per day' is the monthly price divided by 30, rounded.

You can renew StarTimes daily, weekly or monthly or pay for any GOtv tier online on AidaPay, for your own decoder or for your mum's back home.

Is StarTimes always the cheaper choice?

At the bottom of the range, yes. Nova costs roughly half of GOtv Easy. Higher up the gap closes completely, because Easy and Basic cost the same and so do Starter and Classic, which means price alone won't settle it for most families.

Paying by the day is where the bigger saving hides. Say you only switch on the TV at weekends, when the house is full and NEPA is kind. Eight weekend days of Nova at the daily rate come to ₦1,200. That's ₦900 less than the monthly plan.

Once you're watching more than half the month, daily plans stop making sense. Weekly ones rarely pay off at all. Three weeks of Nova already cost as much as a full month, so a weekly plan only makes sense when you know you'll stop watching soon after.

GOtv Select or Sports: which tier has the Premier League?

Top-end football is GOtv's strength. Sports is the one tier with every Premier League match, and it adds LaLiga and the Champions League on top. Select gives you LaLiga for about half the money, which suits a house that follows Barcelona more than Arsenal.

If you were on Jolli or Max, relax. MultiChoice moved every active account to a tier with the same content or more when the new tiers launched on 5 November 2026. Anyone who paid several months ahead keeps that full period before the new price applies.

Two catches remain. Every GOtv plan runs for a month, so even a short week of viewing costs the full Easy price. Prices also move, so check the figure each time you renew instead of paying from memory, especially in the weeks right after a change like the 5 November one.

What StarTimes gets right, and where people slip

Flexibility is the big win. Paying for a day, a week or a month suits students, night-shift workers and anyone whose light comes and goes without warning. StarTimes also holds LaLiga rights until the season that ends in 2029, and you'll find those matches on Classic, so a Madrid supporter isn't left guessing whether the deal will vanish next year.

Read the full plan name too. Some bouquets come in a two-month version, such as Basic (Antenna) at ₦5,200, and that figure isn't a monthly price.

Best decoder for students, football fans and tight budgets

Start with how often you watch and which league you follow. Everything else falls into place after that.

Which one to pick, by kind of viewer:

Switching brands costs more than a plan, because you'd need a new decoder first, and the subscription days you have left can't move from GOtv to StarTimes or back again.

How to renew either decoder online

1. Open the app and tap Home, then Cable TV.
2. Choose GOtv or StarTimes.
3. Enter your IUC or smartcard number.
4. Check that the name on screen matches the decoder owner.
5. Pick the bouquet, and on StarTimes pick the antenna or dish version that matches your decoder.
6. Confirm with your PIN.

GOtv renewals earn 0.15% cashback. StarTimes pays 0.25%. Your receipt stays in Transactions, and if a renewal shows as pending, requery it there before you pay again. If you want DStv beside these two, compare cable TV subscription prices in one place, then pick the plan that fits this month's budget.

Frequently asked questions

Published 9 November 2026. Prices and codes change - if you spot one that has moved, tell us and we will fix it.