Multichoice confirms Nigerians will pay more for DStv, GOtv subscription from May 1st

MultiChoice, the South African media conglomerate that operates DStv and GOtv, recently announced an increase in subscription rates for its Nigerian audience. The increase is set to take effect from the 1st of May 2023.
Although the growth in the subscription rate is not specific to Nigeria, it does seem higher compared to other African nations, with up to a 16% increase. Several African nations, like Kenya and South Africa, have seen their own uptick, according to MultiChoice. For instance, the business announced a 5% rise in DStv subscription prices in Kenya and a 3–10% increase in South Africa.
Although the company has given several reasons for the increase, including economic challenges, the rising cost of content acquisition, and inflation, this new increment has received mixed reactions from Nigerian subscribers. Social media platforms have featured many expressing their dissatisfaction and disappointment.
Can we all just agree to boycott Multichoice and their products (DSTV and GOTV)?
The increment in tariffs is getting too much. After every market day, they increase price while showing same movie over and over and over again till you know the next scene word for word. Can we?
Lola Okunrin (@lollypeezle) April 25, 2023
Many people have voiced their complaints on social media, and some have even called for a boycott of the company’s services. According to others, the increase is unjustifiable, considering the nation’s current economic predicament. Many Nigerians struggle to make ends meet due to high prices, a depreciating currency, and increased unemployment.
A comparison between Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya
For Nigerian subscribers
DStv Packages Nigeria old price Nigeria new price Price difference Premium ₦21,000 ₦24,500 ₦3,500 Compact + ₦14,250 ₦16,600 ₦2,350 Compact ₦9,000 ₦10,500 ₦1,500 Confam ₦5,300 ₦6,200 ₦900 Yanga ₦2,950 ₦3,500 ₦550 Padi ₦2,150 ₦2,500 ₦350
For South African subscribers
DStv Packages South Africa’s old price South Africa’s new price Price difference Premium R839 (₦20,963) R879 (₦21,962) R40 (₦1,000) Compact + R549 (₦13,717) R579 (₦14,467) R30 (₦750) Compact R429 (₦10,719) R449 (₦11,218) R20 (₦500) Family R309 (₦7,720) R319 (₦7,970) R10 (₦250) Access R120 (₦2,998) R129 (₦3,223) R9 (₦225) Easy View R29 (₦724) R29 (₦724) 0
For Kenyan subscribers
DStv Packages Kenya’s old price Kenya’s new price Price difference Premium 8,900 KES (₦30,165) 9,500 KES (₦32,199) 600 KES (₦2,034) Compact + 5,500 KES (₦18,641) 5,900 KES (₦19,997) 400 KES (₦1,356) Compact 3,000 KES (₦10,168) 3,300 KES (₦11,184) 300 KES (₦1,016) Family 1,600 KES (₦5,423) 1,750 KES (₦5,931) 150 KES (₦508) Access 1,150 KES (₦3,897) 1,250 KES (₦4,236) 100 KES (₦339)
When the three tables are compared, it becomes clear that even though Kenya appears to be paying more when converted to naira, the Nigerian audience is more severely affected by the increased rate plans for all of its services. For South Africa, being the home to the multimedia company, its increased tariff charges are still the lowest among the three.
There are several reasons that could have affected the disproportionate dispersion of subscription charges among the three countries but does it still mean that the new charges should be this high in Nigeria?
Apart from the general reasons MultiChoice has given over the years, here are some reasons why the subscription fee varies
Cost of living: Given that Kenya is undoubtedly more expensive than Nigeria, Kenya’s average cost of living ($653) is lower than Nigeria’s average cost of living ($1019). However, Nigeria is cheaper than South Africa. Compared to Nigeria’s minimum wage of ₦30,000, Kenyan’s minimum wage is roughly 15120.00 KES (more than ₦50,000). For South Africa, the minimum wage is 23.19 per hour and if calculated with 40 hr/wk, the monthly minimum wage will be at ZAR 3,680 (more than ₦92,000).
Local Market Competition: South Africa might just be on the lucky side with this one as there is stiff competition in the c...