Multichoice Loses 243K DStv, GOtv Subscribers As More Customers Threaten To Leave

News/Opinion

Multichoice Loses 243K DStv, GOtv Subscribers As More Customers Threaten To Leave

Reported by Ayooluwa Afolabi

Multichoice Group, a pay-TV operator in Africa, announced that its Nigerian subsidiary lost 243,000 subscribers for its Digital Satellite Television (DStv) and General Entertainment on Television (GOtv) services from April to September 2024.

The Daily Trust reports that the company revealed these figures in its interim financial results for the period ending September 30, 2024.

MultiChoice attributed this decline to Nigeria’s high inflation rate, which exceeds 30% driven by the rising costs of food, electricity, and fuel, causing many customers to disconnect.

In its financial report for March 2024, MultiChoice had earlier reported an 18% subscriber loss in Nigeria.

The company also reported a 566,000-subscriber loss in the Rest of Africa (RoA) operations over the past six months, with Zambia and Nigeria contributing the largest shares to this decline.

“The group’s linear subscriber base declined by 11%, or 1.8 million subscribers YoY, to 14.9 million active subscribers on 30 September 2024.

“The loss in the Rest of Africa has been primarily due to the significant consumer pressure in Nigeria, where inflation has remained above 30% for the majority of the last 12 months and, more recently, due to extreme power disruptions in Zambia.

“Of this decline, 298k related to Zambia and 243k related to Nigeria, with remaining markets on the continent reflecting only a minor decline of 25k,” it said.

Currently, more customers in Nigeria are expressing their intention to switch to different platforms.

While reacting to the story on a WhatsApp platform, a subscriber said, "They will lose more because I’ll soon leave them too.”

On X, @Jaheim007 wrote: “The numbers are about to triple.”

@skyedron commented: “All anyone needs to acquire is the internet and a few clicks. Multichoice my foot.”

@ribaduabubakar2: “I subscribed to another platform and simply ignored them. They kept increasing the price as if someone would die without them. I am willing to give out my decoder and dish for free.”

@AbelFidelis4: “This is just the beginning. I stopped using DStv in 2022.”

@NdubuisiNC: “The downfall of this company in Nigeria will be televised and sweet to me. A company this big can’t improvise on its content? Nigerians have cried for years about how boring it is, only football channels are what’s keeping most of us.”

@Ekoh4Ekoh: “They should be ready to lose more customers, and it is good for them. They have to reduce their monthly subscription and make it pay as you go.”

@cashoggy: “They will still lose more subscribers. Internet and smart TV have rendered Dstv unattractive with their rate. Imagine paying 25,700 for a premium subscription when you can surf the Internet and watch all the programs for less.”

@rilwan_ola01: “They will suffer even greater losses.”