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• Call for suspension of latest subscription increase
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives has mandated its Committee on Commerce to probe the arbitrary increase in subscription by the Multichoice, owners of DSTV and GoTV.
The House, while calling on Multichoice to suspend the latest increase in subscription for DSTV and GoTV packages, said the investigation was to ensure implementation of cost-effective policies in the pay-TV sector for consumers in the country.
The committee is expected to report back to the House within four weeks for further legislative action.
This followed the adoption of a motion by Esosa Iyawe, calling for the suspension and investigation of the latest increase in subscription by Multichoice.
MultiChoice, had last month, announced an increase in the price of subscriptions for its DStv and GOtv packages. According to the pay-tv company, with effect from March 1, subscribers on the DStv premium bouquet will pay N44,500, compared to the current rate of N37,000, and those on Compact+ would pay N30,000, up from N25,000.
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Customers on Compact bouquet will pay N19,000, up from N17,000.
However, Osawe, in his motion, contended that the latest price hike by Multichoice would be the second time in the last one year, as the last increase by the firm was in May 2024.
According to him, “Multichoice, the owner of DStv and GOtv, recently announced an increase in the prices of all its packages in Nigeria, citing prevalent economic factors leading to increased operational costs as their reason for the proposed increase.
“The 20 percent to 25 percent hike in subscription prices would be the second time in less than a year, as the last hike was in May 2024. The increase in May 2024 sparked public outrage and many Nigerians who were already dealing with rising costs of living were forced to ditch their decoders even as they lamented the lack of competition in the sector.
“Due to the dominant position of Multichoice in pay-TV, price increases always have a widespread impact and put consumers under undue pressure.”
The lawmaker stated that the latest hike in the subscription of DSTV and GoTV packages has triggered widespread criticisms from subscribers.
