The subscribers under the aegis, Association of Telephone, Cable TV and Internet Subscribers of Nigeria (ATCIS) has called for a mass boycott of Multichoice services in Nigeria, describing them as exploitative.
This call for a boycott came yesterday after Multichoice told its subscribers in Nigeria that effective March 1, 2025, it will increase the prices of its DStv and GOtv packages.
The statement titled: “Price adjustments for DStv and GOtv packages,” read, “Dear Customer, please note that effective 1 March 2025, there will be a price adjustment on all DStv packages.
“This is to enable us to continue to offer 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 N11,400 and the Supa Plus, N16,800.
The GOtv max package will now cost N8,500 while the Supa will cost N11,400 and the Supa Plus, N16,800.
MultiChoice, the parent company for DStv and GOtv, claimed the price increase is due to the increasing cost of running a business in Nigeria.
It pointed to currency depreciation, with the naira’s value dropping significantly and high inflation ballooning its operation expenses.
But in a swift response, the President of ATCIS, Sina Bilesanmi, said it is high time, Nigerians boycott the services of Multichoice, saying the firm has become extremely exploitative.
Bilesanmi said ATCIS has been on the campaign in the last three years for the boycott of the services on the basis that this firm is exploiting Nigerians.
“I have campaigned and still campaigning for Pay As You Go or Per Per View services in Nigeria. So many people are not enjoying the service they offer in Nigeria. You pay but most times, you are not at home to watch and your money keeps running. Even when you pay, the quality is still not top-notch, so, why the exploitation? It is time for a mass boycott. Last year, they lost over one million subscribers in Nigeria, this time, the loss will be more than that,” Bilesanmi stated.
In its Interim Financial Results for the six months ended September 30, 2024, Multichoice Nigeria lost 243,000 subscribers across its DStv and GOtv services in the six months covering April to September 2024.
The company had said the high inflation in Nigeria at over 30 per cent in 2024, driven by the high cost of food, electricity and fuel forced many of its customers to ditch their decoders.
The company added that the pressure on its subscriber base in Rest of Africa Operations continued from the previous year leading to a loss of 566,000 subscribers across the operations in the six months under review in 2024.
