NIGERIA: FCCPC Orders MultiChoice To Halt Subscription Price Hike Amid Investigation

By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), on Thursday, directed MultiChoice Nigeria, the operator of DStv and GOtv, to maintain its current subscription prices until the conclusion of an ongoing investigation into the company’s proposed tariff adjustment.

This directive was disclosed in a statement signed by the FCCPC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu.

The decision follows MultiChoice’s request for an extension regarding its scheduled appearance before the commission over concerns related to its recurrent price increases.

Initially, the regulator had summoned MultiChoice’s Chief Executive Officer to appear before it on February 27 for an investigative hearing.

While granting the company’s request for a postponement, the FCCPC has now rescheduled the hearing for March 6, 2025.

The commission has mandated MultiChoice’s CEO and relevant officers to attend the session with a comprehensive response to the inquiry.

The FCCPC states: “As part of this directive, MultiChoice is expressly instructed to maintain the existing price structure as of February 27, 2025, pending the commission’s review and final determination on the matter,” the FCCPC stated.

The commission emphasized that freezing the prices is aimed at protecting consumers from potential exploitation during the investigation period.

Recall that Africa Culture TV reported that MultiChoice had earlier informed its customers of an impending price adjustment, citing the need to review its pricing structure.

Under the proposed changes, the DStv Compact package would see an increase, while the Compact Plus and Premium bouquets would remain at N30,000 and N44,500, respectively.

In its notice titled “Price Adjustments for DStv and GOtv Packages,” the company stated:

“Dear Customer, please note that effective March 1, 2025, there will be a price adjustment on all DStv packages. This is to enable us to continue offering our customers world-class homegrown and international content, delivered through the best technology.”

The FCCPC has assured the public that it will provide further updates as the investigation progresses.