📌 Quick answer: StarTimes’ own Nigerian website lists its antenna (DTT) bouquets at ₦2,100 for Nova, ₦4,000 for Basic and ₦6,000 for Classic, and its dish (DTH) bouquets at ₦2,100 for Nova, ₦5,100 for Smart, ₦9,800 for Super and ₦21,000 for Chinese, as checked on 1 November 2026. Which list applies depends on your decoder: an antenna decoder can only take antenna bouquets and a dish decoder only dish bouquets. You can recharge through the StarTimes ON app, bank apps and USSD codes, OPay, PalmPay and other payment platforms, or at StarTimes offices and dealers.
StarTimes is one of the cheapest ways into pay TV for Nigerian homes, with entry bouquets around the same price as a small data bundle. It also carries football from leagues such as the Bundesliga and the Saudi Pro League, which is why many families keep a StarTimes decoder alongside another service.
Prices in this guide come only from StarTimes’ official site for Nigeria and its customer FAQ. We have added the yearly cost of each bouquet and a comparison with GOtv, plus the fixes StarTimes itself recommends for the most common error messages.
StarTimes Antenna (DTT) Bouquets and Prices
| Bouquet | Price | Cost over 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| Nova | ₦2,100 | ₦25,200 |
| Basic | ₦4,000 | ₦48,000 |
| Classic | ₦6,000 | ₦72,000 |
Antenna decoders pick up StarTimes’ signal from its ground transmitters through an indoor or outdoor (Yagi) antenna. They are cheaper to set up but only work in areas covered by StarTimes’ transmitters, mostly cities and large towns.
StarTimes Dish (DTH) Bouquets and Prices
| Bouquet | Price | Cost over 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| Nova | ₦2,100 | ₦25,200 |
| Smart | ₦5,100 | ₦61,200 |
| Super | ₦9,800 | ₦117,600 |
| Chinese | ₦21,000 | ₦252,000 |
Dish decoders receive the signal from a satellite, so they work almost anywhere in Nigeria, including rural areas outside antenna coverage. The Chinese bouquet is a specialist package for Chinese-language viewers; for most Nigerian homes, the choice is between Nova, Smart and Super.
Antenna or Dish: Which Should You Get?
- You live in a city with good StarTimes antenna coverage: antenna (DTT) is usually the cheaper setup. Classic, the top antenna bouquet, costs ₦6,000.
- You live outside the main cities, or in a building where the antenna struggles: a dish (DTH) decoder is more reliable.
- You want StarTimes’ biggest dish bouquet: Super at ₦9,800 is the most expensive general bouquet.
You cannot move a bouquet between the two systems. An antenna decoder takes only antenna bouquets and a dish decoder takes only dish bouquets, so decide before you buy the decoder.
StarTimes vs GOtv: Monthly Prices
| Service | Cheapest bouquet | Most expensive general bouquet |
|---|---|---|
| StarTimes antenna | Nova ₦2,100 | Classic ₦6,000 |
| StarTimes dish | Nova ₦2,100 | Super ₦9,800 |
| GOtv | Smallie ₦1,900 | Supa+ ₦16,800 |
GOtv’s cheapest bouquet is ₦200 cheaper than StarTimes Nova, but StarTimes’ top bouquets cost far less than GOtv Supa+. See our GOtv packages and prices guide and our DStv subscription guide for the full comparison.
Football on StarTimes
StarTimes’ own site lists live sports channels including ST World Football, ST Sports Premium, ST Sports Focus, ST Sports Life, ST Sports Arena and Real Madrid TV. Its current match listings include games from the Bundesliga, the Carabao Cup, the Saudi Pro League and the Copa del Rey, plus La Liga highlights and replays.
Not every sports channel is on every bouquet, and rights change from season to season. Before you pay for a bigger bouquet to watch a particular league, check StarTimes’ channel guide or call its customer service.
For Premier League and Champions League games, which are on SuperSport in Nigeria, see our guides to watching the Premier League in Nigeria and this week’s Champions League fixtures in Nigerian time.
How to Recharge Your StarTimes Decoder
You will need your smart card number, the 11-digit number printed on your StarTimes card. You can also find it on the decoder or in the StarTimes ON app. StarTimes advises keeping your decoder switched on while you pay, so the subscription reaches it straight away.
1. StarTimes ON app
- Download the StarTimes ON app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
- Register or log in with your phone number or email, and link your decoder with your smart card number.
- Tap Me, then Recharge or Pay.
- Choose your bouquet and pay by debit card, bank account, mobile wallet or recharge card.
2. Bank app or bank USSD
In your bank app, go to Bills, then Cable TV, choose StarTimes, enter your smart card number and pick your bouquet. StarTimes’ FAQ also lists these bank USSD codes; select pay bills or cable TV, then StarTimes:
| Bank | USSD code |
|---|---|
| Access Bank | *901# |
| Ecobank | *326# |
| Fidelity Bank | *770# |
| First Bank | *894# |
| GTBank | *737# |
| Keystone Bank | *7111# |
| Polaris Bank | *833# |
| Stanbic IBTC | *909# |
| Sterling Bank | *822# |
| UBA | *919# |
| Union Bank | *826# |
| Unity Bank | *7799# |
| Wema Bank | *945# |
3. OPay, PalmPay and other platforms
StarTimes lists OPay, PalmPay, Paga, Moniepoint, Interswitch, VTpass, Capricorn, Credit Switch and Express as payment channels. In OPay, tap TV, enter your smart card number, verify it, choose the subscription period and bouquet, then enter your PIN. In PalmPay, choose TV, select StarTimes, enter your smart card number, pick a plan and pay.
4. In person
Pay at a StarTimes business hall, a StarTimes dealer or a POS agent. Give them your smart card number and bouquet, pay, and wait for the confirmation message before you leave.
Fixing Common StarTimes Errors
| Message on screen | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No Access / Not Subscribed | Your subscription has expired | Recharge using any method above, with the decoder switched on |
| No Signal (antenna decoder) | The antenna is not sending a signal to the decoder | Mount the outdoor antenna firmly, high enough and outside; check the cable. StarTimes says signal strength and quality should be above 50% |
| No Signal (dish decoder) | The dish’s LNB is not talking to the decoder | Check the LNB cable at the back of the decoder, then call StarTimes for an engineer |
| No Service / No channel received | The antenna is not getting enough signal | Adjust the antenna, then run an automatic channel search |
| Smart card not paired | The card is not activated or is paired with another decoder | Visit a StarTimes business hall or call the hotline |
| Decoder keeps restarting | The decoder could not update itself | Take it to a StarTimes office for a manual upgrade |
To run an automatic search, press Menu on your remote, go to Settings, press OK, scroll to Automatic Search, choose Yes and press OK. StarTimes’ FAQ gives its customer hotline as 0201-4618888.
Ways to Save on StarTimes
- Match the bouquet to what you watch. If your family watches mainly local channels and Nollywood, Nova may be enough.
- Recharge before expiry. You will not lose viewing days to a gap in your subscription.
- Upgrade for big football weekends only, then drop back to a cheaper bouquet, if the channel you need is only on a higher bouquet.
- Fix your antenna before you pay more. Many “missing channel” problems are signal problems, not bouquet problems.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is StarTimes Nova per month?
₦2,100, for both antenna and dish decoders, according to StarTimes’ Nigerian website on 1 November 2026.
How much is StarTimes Classic?
₦6,000 a month. Classic is the top antenna (DTT) bouquet.
How much is StarTimes Super?
₦9,800 a month on dish (DTH) decoders.
What is the difference between StarTimes antenna and dish?
Antenna (DTT) decoders use ground transmitters and only work in covered areas; dish (DTH) decoders use satellite and work almost anywhere. Each has its own bouquets and prices.
How do I pay for StarTimes with my phone?
Use the StarTimes ON app, your bank app, a bank USSD code such as *737# for GTBank or *894# for First Bank, or OPay or PalmPay. You need your 11-digit smart card number.
What is the StarTimes customer care number?
StarTimes’ Nigerian FAQ lists its hotline as 0201-4618888.
Sources
- StarTimes Nigeria – “Decoder Bouquets” price list (Dish and Antenna) and live channel listings, m.startimestv.com, checked 1 November 2026
- StarTimes Nigeria – customer FAQ: recharge methods, bank USSD codes and fixes for signal and subscription errors, checked 1 November 2026
Last updated: 1 November 2026 · NaijaSabi Entertainment Desk. StarTimes reviews its prices from time to time; we check its Nigerian site regularly and update this page when they change.
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