From May 1, DStv, GOtv subscribers will pay more

MultiChoice, owners of DStv and GOtv, has increased subscription rates by five percent, with effect from May 1, 2017.

This is coming less than two years after Nigerians threatened to boycott MultiChoice Nigeria over 20 percent subscription hike.

Back then, a court ordered the company not to increase the rates pending the determination of a suit filed against it by some lawyers, but MultiChoice waved aside the order.

Under the new price regime, the monthly subscription on DStv premium bouquet, which is N13,980 will be N14,700. Compact Plus DStv subscribers will pay N9,900 as against the current N9,420, while Compact subscribers will no longer pay N6,000 but N6,300.

Family bouquet subscribers will now be charged N3,800 as against the N3,600 they are paying at the moment, while Access bouquet would be N1,900 and not N1,800.

Commercial bouquet, which is currently N1,720, has been adjusted to N1,850.

The new rates for, GOtv Value and GOtv Lite bouquets, are N1,300 and N450, against the current rates of N1,200 and N400.

GOtv Plus subscribers will have to pay N1,900 instead of the current rate of N1,800.

MultiChoice has defended its action, saying the adjustment was made after careful consideration and a review of its business operations.

“We announced last year that we would do everything possible to hold the price barring any extreme factors,” John Ugbe, managing director of Multichoice Nigeria, said in a statement.

“However, all our content is purchased in dollars and although we have done everything possible to hold the prices even with the price of everything else going up, we are now left with no choice but to adjust our subscription prices from May 1.

“Our key priority is to put subscribers’ needs at the heart of everything we do and therefore, in determining the price adjustment, we took into account many factors including, the impact on the customer, current inflation which stands at 19 per cent, programming costs and efficiencies within the company. Please be assured that we have worked really hard to keep this year’s fees manageable.”