Some pay television subscribers in Ekiti State have appealed to the management of MultiChoice Nigeria to revert to the old subscription rate in the interest of their customers across Nigeria.
They said the price increase announced by the multinational company on February 24 and took effect on March 1 2025, for its DStv and GOtv subscription packages has made their services go beyond what an ordinary Nigerian can afford.
Recalls that the announcement of the latest hike in the subscription rate came almost a year after an increase was effected by the company, which attracted public outcry among Nigerians.
Some people who decried the increase and expressed their displeasure at the development include viewing centre operators, civil servants, students, and traders.
Speaking with the LEADERSHIP in Ado Ekiti, a football viewing centre owner, Mr Oluwole Onile, said the hike in subscription hike always affects their businesses in terms of patronage.
He said, “We always jerk up the price payable to watch a match when the subscription rate increases. This has been affected already.
“Due to this, most of our customers don’t come to watch matches again, while those who watch three to five matches every weekend reduce it to one or two matches”.
Also, a civil servant, who identified himself as Mr Ajayi, said he is yet to make a subscription since the pay-television company was affected by the increase.
Ajayi said that he has been finding it difficult to do it since the amount he always goes for has increased from N3900 to N5800.
“As a public servant and a family man with a wife and children to care for, I have to consider the things I have to spend my hard-earned money on. So, if the price can be reduced to the one I can easily afford, I may reconsider subscribing to it again.
“One thing that surprised me was that, sometimes last year, there was no network to watch all the channels for over two weeks. There was nothing like compensating subscribers for those periods, only for them to apologise, but they always quickly increased the subscription rate.
He suggested that the federal government should impress on the company to consider a pay-as-you-go operation for customers so that they will only be billed for the times when they watch the channels.
A university student, Bashir Adegoke, who also called for a reduction in the subscription rate, said such will be in the interest of the students and low-income earners who don’t even have pay television at home.
Adegoke said, “I go to viewing centres to watch football matches. Before the latest hike in the subscription price, we watched a match, N300, and two matches, N400. Now, it has been increased to N400 per match; it is even in some areas.
“I was considering watching matches on some apps on the phone, as I usually do whenever I want to stay home to watch matches, especially in the evening. With N300 data, I can watch a match at least. Now that the amount payable to watch a match at the viewing centres has increased to N500 and 1G of data is now being sold between N800 and N850, I am now at a crossroads as to how to watch football matches these days”.
Mr Ayodele, who only subscribed for the sake of his children, wants the price reduced as he would not want to seek an alternative pay television due to the quality of programs being offered by GOTV.
