Godsent Ogbebor
MultiChoice Increases DStv Compact Subscription Fee to N19,000
Pay-TV provider MultiChoice Nigeria has announced a 21% increase in the subscription fee for its DStv Compact package, raising the cost from N15,700 to N19,000. The new pricing will take effect from March 1, 2025.
This latest adjustment follows a similar price hike in May 2024, which the company attributed to inflation and rising operational costs.
The announcement has sparked widespread criticism from subscribers, many of whom took to social media to express frustration over frequent price increases without an improvement in service quality.
In a notice sent to customers on Monday, MultiChoice explained that the adjustment was part of a broader pricing review. However, while the DStv Compact package will see an increase, the Compact Plus and Premium bouquets will remain at N30,000 and N44,500, respectively.
The notice, titled Price Adjustments for DStv and GOtv Packages, stated: “Dear Customer, please note that effective March 1, 2025, there will be a price adjustment on all DStv packages.
This is to enable us to continue offering our customers world-class homegrown and international content, delivered through the best technology.”
The latest price increase has reignited concerns among subscribers, with many questioning whether they are getting value for their money.
Complaints range from repeated content and service disruptions to what some describe as MultiChoice’s unchecked market dominance.
One subscriber, Okechukwu, criticized the platform’s programming, saying, “Apart from repeating movies sometimes on two channels at the same time there’s a constant interruption to check if you’re subscribed or authorized to watch a channel, even when you have the Supa+ package.”
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Another subscriber, Kevin Okeke, suggested that more people would turn to alternatives, saying, “More people will switch to better options, especially those who don’t care about football matches.”
Others blamed the lack of competition in Nigeria’s pay-TV sector for the frequent price hikes. “It’s always easy for them to increase prices because there’s no real competition. That’s what a monopoly does to consumers,” a user complained.
Some subscribers have even called for a boycott of the service, arguing that the price hikes are becoming unsustainable. “The last increment was less than a year ago, and now another one? It’s time to boycott this company,” a user named Ramsey said.
Expressing frustration over Nigeria’s rising cost of living, another subscriber, Oburu Chinedu, added, “The way we pay tariffs in this country, you’d think we were in London or Dubai! Even electricity is outrageously expensive. How did we get here?”