MultiChoice, Nigeria’s leading satellite television provider, has denied recent reports claiming it reduced its subscription fees amid a decline in subscriber numbers. Instead, the company clarified that only decoder prices have been adjusted.
Initial reports indicated that MultiChoice had increased its subscription prices due to rising operational costs and inflation, sparking widespread criticism from consumers and scrutiny from regulatory authorities. Following this backlash, the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT) in Abuja ordered MultiChoice to revert to its previous subscription rates pending a comprehensive hearing on the matter.
Subsequent reports suggested that MultiChoice had complied with the court order, adjusting subscription rates for both DStv and GOtv services. According to these reports, effective June 16, 2024, the DStv Premium package was reduced from N37,000 to N29,500, and the Compact+ package was adjusted from N25,000 to N19,800. The Compact Bouquet was allegedly reduced from N15,700 to N12,500, while the Confam package was lowered from N9,300 to N7,400.
For GOtv subscribers, it was reported that the Super+ package dropped from N15,700 to N12,500, the Super package from N9,600 to N7,600, the Max package from N6,300 to N5,700, the Joli package from N4,500 to N3,950, and the Jinja package from N3,200 to N2,700.
However, a source within MultiChoice speaking to BusinessDay on Tuesday clarified that the company has only reduced decoder prices, not subscription fees. “We only reduced our decoder prices and not subscription prices,” the source stated.
This clarification highlights that, despite regulatory and consumer pressure, MultiChoice’s subscription rates for DStv and GOtv remain unchanged.