Despite the court order restraining pay TV company, Multichoice, from increasing its tariffs on DStv and GOtv as planned, millions of subscribers in Nigeria are already planning to abandon the services and opt for a Nigerian owned alternative. This may lead to loss of revenue for the company in the next few years.
As gathered by New Telegraph, Nigerian subscribers on various social media have continued to expressed their decision to abandon DStv and GOtv, urging one another to do so. Last week, the company had announced that it would increase its tariffs on DStv and GOtv and that the new tariffs would take effect from May 1, this year.
The pay-TV firm cited the rise in the cost of business operations as the rationale behind the price increase. This would be the third time the company would increase its subscription since April, 2023 as it increased the prices in April and November 2023 by over 20 per cent, claiming surging operational costs.
“We understand the impact this change may have on our valued customers and partners, but the rise in the cost of business operations, has led us to make this difficult decision,” it said in a statement sent to its customers through email. From May 1, the pay-TV firm said customers on the DStv premium bouquet will begin to pay N37,000 from N29,500, and those on Compact+ would pay N25,000 from N19,800. Customers on Compact bouquet will pay N15,700 — up from N12,500 — the organisation said. To subscribe to Confam, Yanga, and Padi packages customers will pay N9,300, N5,100, and N3,600 from N7,400, N4,200, and N2,950 respectively.
The price of HDPVR Access Service, Access Fees, and Xtraview bouquets was also increased from N4,000 to N5,000. Multichoice also said GOtv Supa+ subscribers will pay N15,700 in contrast to the old price of N12,500. Similarly, subscribers on GOtv Supa package are expected to pay N9,600 from N7,600; while customers on the GOtv Max bouquet will pay N7,200 instead of N5,700.
The GOtv Jolli package will cost N4,850 from N3,950, the company added. Multichoice also said the price of the GOtv Jinja package would rise from N2,700 to N3,300; adding that subscribers of the GOtv Smallie would be required to pay N1,575 instead of N1,300.
Reacting to the development as reported by New Telegraph, subscribers, under the aegis of Association of Telephone, Cable Tv and Internet Subscribers of Nigeria (ATCIS-Nigeria), have kicked against any further increment on the DStv and GOtv tariffs, saying such would not be accepted by Nigerians.
Speaking, the National President of the Association, Sina Bilesanmi, said the increase was totally rejected. He urged the Federal Government to reject any such increase at the time the country is battling economic hardship.
emphasised on Pay-As-You-Watch tariff system, insisting that Multichoice had been cheating and extorting Nigerians with its subscription system. “We cannot accept any further increase in subscription by the company. Our government needs to urgently come in this time around and stop such move by the company. We cannot continue to be cheated and extorted by the company,” he complained.
Meanwhile, following the subscribers’ outcry, a Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT) sitting in Abuja, on Monday, restrained the South African owned Multichoice Nigeria Limited from increasing its tariffs. The three-member tribunal, presided over by Saratu Shafii, gave the interim order following an ex-parte motion moved by Ejiro Awaritoma, counsel for the applicant, Festus Onifade.
The tribunal, in a ruling, restrained the company from going ahead with the price increase schedule to take effect from May 1, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed before it.
However, Nigerian customers of DStv and GOtv said they have decided to go for a cheaper, local alternative. An economy analyst, Mr. Taofeek Olusanyan who spoke to New Telegraph, said creating competition with the local pay-TV would naturally make the services cheaper, while also promoting the local content and the country’s economy.
