Premier South African owned pay TV operator in Nigeria, MultiChoice Nigeria, has again increased subscriptions fees for its DStv and GOtv packages by at least 25%, making it the fourth of such hikes in less than three years.
MultiChoice announced the increase in tariffs in a message sent to subscribers on Wednesday and said that the new regime will be effective May 1.
In a statement signed by its Chief Executive Officer, John Ugbe, titled, ‘Price Adjustment on DStv and GOtv Packages’, the company cited the rise in the cost of business operations as the rationale behind the price increase.
It would be recalled that the company implemented an upward review of prices in December 2023, days after announcing a $72m loss in its financial statement for the third quarter of the year. This came after the April 2023 increase in tariff by about 17% announced by the company across its DStv and GOtv packages, which took effect from May 1, 2023
The two increments in tariff within one year, according to MultiChoice, were due to the rising costs of business operations then.
Recall that in March 2022, the Pay TV firm also increased the prices of its DStv and GOtv packages due to “the rising costs of inflation and business operations.”
Based on the current increase, which takes effect from May 1, 2024, customers on the DStv Premium package will see their monthly subscription fee increase to N37,000 marking a 25.4% rise from the current N29,500.
Also, price of the Compact+ bouquet has been raised to N25,000 from N19,800 per month, reflecting a 26.2% increment.
Compact bouquet subscribers will now pay N15,700, up from the current N12,500, representing a 25.6% increase.
Meanwhile, those on the Confam package will face a 25.6% hike as their monthly subscription rises from N7,400 to N9,300; while subscribers on the DStv Yanga bouquet will pay N5,100, marking a 21.43% increase over the current N4,200 fee.
The firm also announced price increases across its GOtv packages. Customers on the Supa Plus package will now pay N15,700, upwards from the current price of N12,500. Similarly, the Supa bouquet will see its price increase to N9,600 from the current N7,600.
For the GOtv Max subscription, the new price is N7,200, up from N5,700, while the Jolli package will now cost N4,850, compared to the current price of N3,950. Multichoice has also adjusted the price of its lowest GOtv package, Jinja, which will now be N3,300 monthly instead of the current N2,700.
Speaking on the current increase in subscription charges, the CEO, John Ugbe proffered the company’s goodwill: “We understand the impact this change may have on you – our valued customer, but the rise in the cost of business operations, has led us to make this difficult decision.
“It remains our mission to provide the best entertainment and viewing experience to you and are committed to continue to deliver high-quality content and unparalleled service. So, from Wednesday, 1 May 2024, the price adjustment will take effect.”
