UK-based solar company Azuri Technologies and Kenyan satellite TV provider Zuku launched the AzuriTV service in Kenya in December.
A solar panel is fixed to the roof of a customer's home, and connects to a battery which powers a range of appliances, including lamps, a mobile phone charger, and a 24-inch (61cm) TV which accesses Zuku's Smart satellite TV service.
Users pay an upfront fee of 4,999 Kenyan shillings (£39) for the system, and thereafter pay 149 shillings(£1.15) per day. By the end of two years on this payment schedule, customers own the kit outright.
While solar power products have been available in Kenya for several years, and some free-to-air terrestrial TV stations have been accessible in rural areas, this is the first time off-grid households have had access to a full range of satellite pay-TV channels.
AzuriTV provides lighting in the home, including a security night light, as well as access to world news and entertainment.
"Azuri aims to go beyond lighting and to provide each customer with TVs, internet access, entertainment and a range of services," says Azuri Technologies boss Simon Bransfield-Garth.
But he's not the only one to recognise this demand.
M-Kopa Solar has been providing pay-as-you-go solar power in East Africa for the past five years. About 500,000 households across the region use the company's products, and 10 months ago, the firm added 30 free-to-air TV channels to its offering.
"It was very demand driven," says Jesse Moore, M-Kopa Solar's chief executive. "TV has always been something people aspire to having in their homes."
last year, tech company Cello Electronics developed a solar-powered 22-inch (56cm) TV designed to service the 1.2 billion people in the world without access to a reliable electricity supply.
Its smart antenna picks up high definition broadcasts and also has a built-in satellite tuner, while the solar panel and battery can provide up to 10 hours of operation on a single charge, the company says.
Realising that the $300 cost might be prohibitive for many poorer regions, Cello has introduced its own pay-as-you-watch scheme whereby householders only pay for the amount of TV they watch.
They can buy unlock codes through the remote control handset.
Source - BBC (adapted from Gabriella Mulligan's report)