By Kolawole Ojebisi
The House of Representatives has directed Multichoice, to halt its planned subscription rate increase.
The green chamber cited the prevailing economic hardship in the country for its stance.
Recall that the operator of the DStv and GOtv recently announced a price adjustment effective from March 1.
The Pay-TV provider noted that with the price adjustment, the DStv Premium package will increase from N37,000 to N44,500, while Compact+ subscribers would pay N30,000 instead of N25,000. The Compact bouquet would also increase from N17,000 to N19,000.
The directive followed a motion moved by Esosa Iyawe, an All Progressives Congress lawmaker from Edo State, during plenary on Tuesday.
Iyawe said, “Multichoice recently announced a hike in subscription rates across all its packages, citing rising operational costs. However, this marks the second increase in less than a year, with the last adjustment made in May 2024.”
He noted that the previous hike triggered widespread public outrage, with many Nigerians, already grappling with economic challenges, abandoning their decoders due to a lack of competition in the pay-TV sector.
“Multichoice’s dominance in the market means any price increase has a widespread impact, putting consumers under undue financial pressure,” he added.
Following the adoption of the motion, the House resolved that Multichoice should suspend the proposed hike pending a thorough investigation.
The lawmakers also mandated the Committee on Commerce to probe the recurring increases in subscription fees, to ensure cost-effective policies for Nigerian consumers.
The committee was given four weeks to submit its findings.
