MultiChoice, the owner of DStv and GOtv, has reverted to its previous subscription prices following a court ruling that mandated the pay television company to halt its price increase ¹.
The company has announced plans to challenge the order, asserting that it does not favor its business model ¹.
The court’s order came from the Competition Consumer Tribunal (CCT) following a reported decline in MultiChoice’s subscriber base in Nigeria, where it lost over a million subscribers ¹.
The CCT had previously ordered MultiChoice not to increase its subscription fees without proper notice, following a lawsuit filed by an Abuja-based lawyer, Festus Onifade, who said the 8-day notice given for the price increase was inadequate ¹.
*New Subscription Prices*
Under the reverted pricing structure, DStv subscribers will now pay:
– N29,500 for the Premium package instead of N37,000
– N19,800 for Compact+ package instead of N25,000
– N12,500 for Compact Bouquet instead of N15,700
– N7,400 for Confam package instead of N9,300 per month
– N4,200 for Yanga package instead of N5,100
– N2,950 for Padi subscribers instead of N3,600 ¹
For GOtv subscribers, the Super+ package price has been reverted to N12,500 from N15,700. GOtv Super users will pay N7,600 instead of N9,600. Other packages include:
– N5,700 for GOtv Max
– N3,950 for GOtv Joli
– N2,700 for GOtv Jinja, reduced from the new rate of N3,300 ¹
*MultiChoice’s Response*
MultiChoice officials have not commented on the issue. The company’s price hike was initially implemented to align with market realities following high inflation in Nigeria and the naira’s devaluation ¹.
*Court Ruling and Fine*
The Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT) also fined MultiChoice N150 million for disobeying its orders. The tribunal ordered the pay-TV company to provide its Nigerian customers with a one-month free subscription to its DStv and GOtv packages ¹.