ALMOST a year after its major price preview, Multichoice Nigeria, the parent company of DStv and GOtv, is set to increase the prices of its packages effective March 1, 2025.
In a message to its customers on Monday, February 24, titled “Price Adjustment on DStv and GOtv packages,” MultiChoice chief executive officer, John Ugbe, explained the decision for the upward review in price.
“Dear Customer, please note that effective 1 March 2025, there will be a price adjustment on all DStv packages. This enables us to continue offering our customers world-class homegrown and international content, delivered through the best technology.”
According to the company, its latest price review will hike the DStv compact bouquet from N15,700 to N19,000, the compact plus to N30,000, and the premium subscription to N44,500.
Similarly, GOtv customers, who currently pay N3,600, will now pay N3,900, while the tariff on GOtv Plus will rise from N4,850 to N5,800. The GoTV max package will now cost N8,500 while the Supa will cost 11,400 and the Supa Plus, 16,800.
The cable television company has claimed the price increase is due to the increasing cost of running a business in Nigeria. It further points to currency depreciation, with the naira’s value dropping significantly, and high inflation ballooning its operation expenses.
Meanwhile, there have been growing concerns about the price preview, despite the dwindling economic fortunes of most Nigerian workers.
Nigeria has been grappling with one of its worst inflationary periods in decades, with inflation reaching 24.48 per cent as of January 2025, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The naira’s depreciation against the dollar has also compounded the challenges for businesses, particularly those with international obligations like MultiChoice.
In September 2024, MultiChoice Nigeria defended its opposition to a “pay-as-you-watch” model in court, stating that such a system is not commercially or technically feasible in satellite broadcasting due to current technological limitations. This stance was in response to consumer advocacy groups pushing for more flexible payment options.
Additionally, between April and September 2024, the company reported a loss of 243,000 subscribers, attributed to rising subscription costs and a shift towards more affordable streaming alternatives.
In May 2024, the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal in Abuja issued an interim order restraining MultiChoice from implementing a planned price hike for its DStv and GOtv services, following a suit that accused the company of unjustly increasing subscription fees without adequate notice.
The ICIR, also reported that the cable television company has vowed to appeal the ruling of the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT) after being fined N150 million for disobeying the court.
MultiChoice announced its position in a statement rejecting the order on Friday, June, 7.
Harrison Edeh is a journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, always determined to drive advocacy for good governance through holding public officials and businesses accountable.