Nigerians react negatively to MultiChoice’s decision to raise subscription rates for GOTV, DSTV

The satellite television service provider, MultiChoice, recently announced that it will be raising the monthly subscription fees for both GOTV and DSTV in Nigeria.

A number of subscribers all over the country have expressed their displeasure with this announcement.

According to Multichoice, the new prices will be implemented beginning on May 1 of the year 2023.

“Dear Customer, due to rising costs of business operations, please note that from May 1, your monthly subscription (Premium) will be N24,500,” reads an example of the message that will be sent to the decoders of DStv Premium subscribers. If you want to keep paying the old price of N21,000 for up to a year, make sure you are active by the 30th of April.

Under the new administration, the monthly cost of the Compact+ bouquet is expected to increase to N16,600 from its current level of N14,250. Under the new pricing structure, subscribers on the Compact bouquet would pay N10,500 as opposed to N9,000, and subscribers on the Confam bouquet would be expected to pay N6,200 as opposed to N5,300.

Those who subscribe to DStv Yanga and Padi will be required to pay N3,500 and N2,500 respectively, as opposed to N2,950 and N2,150 currently.

When it comes to the GOtv service, subscribers on the GOtv Supa package would pay N6,400 as opposed to N5,500, and subscribers on the GOtv Max package would pay N4,850 as opposed to N4,150.

Subscribers to GOtv Jolli will soon be required to pay N3,300 instead of the previous N2,800, and the prices of GOtv Jinja and GOtv Lite will also increase, moving from N1,900 to N2,250 and from N900 to N1,100 respectively.

In response to the announcement, a number of subscribers voiced their displeasure with the increased cost of the service, which is especially pertinent given the state of the economy in the country at the present time.

They contend that the new rates are excessively expensive and may not be within the financial means of many Nigerians, particularly those with lower incomes.

Kunle Adeleke, one of MultiChoice’s subscribers, was quoted as saying, “This is a very bad move by MultiChoice. Before increasing the rates for subscriptions, they ought to have given some thought to the current state of the economy in the country. How exactly do they anticipate that regular Nigerians will be able to afford these new rates?

Another customer, Mrs. Chidinma Okeke, expressed her dissatisfaction with MultiChoice by saying, “I am very disappointed with MultiChoice. They have been raising the prices of subscriptions on an annual basis, and it is reaching a point where it is unsustainable. It’s possible that I’ll have to look into switching to a different service provider.