This significant decline in subscription renewals can be attributed to a notable deterioration in Nigeria’s macroeconomic conditions and overall consumer landscape, reflecting broader challenges such as inflation, currency fluctuations, and decreased purchasing power that have impacted the everyday lives of Nigerians.

MultiChoice Uganda PR and Communications Manager, Rinaldi Jamugisa, said the plan was part of the firm’s effort to align with customer needs.

The new plans reflect its commitment to delivering value while ensuring entertainment is accessible to everyone. He said that the short-term allows viewers the freedom to manage their subscriptions in line with their budgets and lifestyles.

MutiChoice includes the lowest plans DStv Lumba and GOtv Lite plans are the lowest price points, providing accessibility to users in Uganda.

According to him, the company understands that its subscribers need affordable and flexible options to keep up with their shows and programmes.

The packages in the new arrangement

The seven-day subscription packages cover a wide range of viewing plans and budgets.

The DStv weekly package includes the Lumba package, Access, Family Package, and Compact. Others are GOtv Lite Coats, Valuepack and Pack, GOtv Max, GOtv Supa, GOtv Supa Plus.

Colin Asiimwe, MultiChoice’s head of marketing, disclosed that the new campaign is a response to consistent feedback from subscribers.

He noted that the campaign is designed for daily use and weekly earners, frequent travellers, and subscribers preferring on-demand viewing.

The company disclosed that the new packages are available through its MyDStv and MyGOtv apps or by dialling their USSD mobile phones with platforms such as MTN MoMo, Airtel, partner banks and selected agents nationwide.

MultiChoice hikes prices for Nigerians

The company’s image maker, Jamugisa, said users can switch back to monthly, quarterly, or annual plans by making a full payment or maintaining enough account credit.

He said the cost of any active weekly plan will be deducted from the new subscription.

The company recently hiked its subscription packages in Nigeria, which caused national outrage, leading to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection (FCCPC) suing the firm.

The commission had directed MultiChoice to maintain the old rates pending investigations, an order the company disregarded.

MultiChoice reported losing almost four million subscribers in less than two years after increasing prices for DStv and GOtv.

The company told its shareholders to brace for challenging times due to macroeconomic headwinds.

Pay-per-view model could better empower consumers – Expert

As MultiChoice unveiled its new weekly subscription plans for DStv and GOtv under the “Ka Weekie” campaign, a technology law and policy expert has weighed in on what this means for consumers in low-income settings.

Dr. Ogochukwu Monye, who is also a digital consumer rights advocate, shared her perspective in an exclusive reaction to Legit.ng.

Reacting to a question on whether the weekly pay-TV option empowers consumers or merely conceals deeper affordability issues, Dr. Monye offered a measured endorsement of the new model.

“Ideally, I feel a pay-as-you-watch model is best,” she said, noting that such a structure would offer even greater flexibility to consumers.

However, she acknowledged the merits of MultiChoice’s latest offering.

“But the weekly is still a better deal than the current model,” she stated, describing it as a step in the right direction.

Further commenting on how such models could enhance consumer value, Dr. Monye added:

“They can also enable consumers to select specific channels in a basket and then pay per view.”

MultiChoice loses almost four million subscribers

MultiChoice, which operates GOtv and DStv, disclosed that its subscribers declined from 23 million to 19.3 million in almost 24 months.

According to reports, many subscriber losses happened outside its home country, South Africa.

In its operational update, the Pay-TV firm said it is preparing its financial results for Q1 2025.