A MOTION ON THE URGENT CALL TO SUSPEND AND INVESTIGATE THE PROPOSED INCREASE IN SUBSCRIPTION PRICES BY MULTI CHOICE.

 MATTER OF URGENT PUBLIC IMPORTANCE:

04/03/2025

 

A motion on the Urgent Call to Suspend and Investigate the Proposed Increase in Subscription Prices by Multichoice:

Multichoice, the owner of PayTV options 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%-25% 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 a public outrage and many Nigerians who werealready dealing with rising costs of living were forced to ditch their decoders even as they lamented the lack of competition in the pay-TV 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 most recent hike in subscription prices announcement has triggered widespread criticism from subscribers, many of whom have taken to social media to express their frustration over frequent price hikes without a corresponding improvement in service quality and the seeming aloof stance of the government towards the situation. 

The House Resolved to:

(i) Call on Multichoice to suspend their proposed increase in subscription prices in Nigeria pending exhaustive investigations;

(ii) Mandate the Committee on Information to investigate the arbitrary increase in subscription prices by Multichoice with a view to ensuring implementation of cost-effective policies in the pay-TV sector for consumers in Nigeria.