BUSINESSDAY
A third tariff increase for DStv and GOtv packages in less than a year is a bitter pill to swallow for many Nigerians amid a raging cost-of-living crisis, but do the numbers actually justify the incessant hikes?
These hikes, about 25 percent for some subscriptions, come at a time when Nigerians are already battling high inflation and a weaker currency.
The latest price review, the company’s first in 2024, is the third since April 2023.
From May 1, 2024, the DStv Premium package will cost 25.42 percent more, with prices moving to 37,000 from 29,500. Similarly, the DStv Compact+ will cost 26.26 percent more (N25,000 from N19,800), while the Compact package will increase by 25.6 percent to N15,700 from N12,500.
Other packages also recorded increases. For GOtv, its Supa+ packages are now worth N15,700 against N12,500; the Supa package has increased to N9,600 from N7,600; and Max subscribers will now pay N7,200 from N5,700.
About a year ago, the company increased the prices of its DStv and GOtv packages and followed up with another increase in November 2023.
Nigerians have kicked against this latest increase because it will further increase hardship and strain their already depleted disposable income. People have taken to social media platform, X, to voice out their frustrations with many planning to cancel their subscriptions altogether.
MultiChoice, the parent company for DStv and GOtv, blames rising business operation costs for the price hikes. It points to currency depreciation, with the naira’s value dropping significantly, and high inflation ballooning its operation expenses.
