The Nigerian Senate has ordered pay-tv service providers, DStv, GOtv, to review their bouquet prices downwards. The Senate gave the directive today during a session in response to the agitation by users following a recent tariff hike by DStv and a call for a pay-per-view subscription model across social media.
This follows a decision by MultiChoice Nigeria, owners of DStv and GOtv, to increase its subscription rates across the board with effect from April 1, 2022.
The debate on the motion was led by Senator Abba Moro (Benue South), supported by Senator Yusuf A Yusuf (Taraba Central) Senator Barau Jibrin (Kano North).
While moving his motion, Moro said MultiChoice Nigeria perpetually increases the cost of its bundles “because there is no regulation whatsoever in the area of fixing rates”.
“Without recourse to the economic situation of the country, MultiChoice has again raised the cost of DStv and GOtv bundles,” he said.
“Nigerians are demanding that, rather than paying fixed rates for packages monthly, pay-TV service providers should introduce a subscription model which allows subscribers pay-per-view to enable them to match their TV consumption to subscription as it is with the case of electricity metering and mobile telephony.”
On his part, Barau Jibrin said regulators should prevent pay television companies from increasing the prices of their packages incessantly.
“Because of the nature of electricity we have in this country, sometimes someone will pay but lack of light won’t allow the person to enjoy such services yet once the month ends, that money goes,” Jibrin said.
“There should be a system where there will be pay-per-view.
“The regulators should do the needful by not allowing an increase of fees by these entities the way they like. It is not in the interest of our people.
“I thereby support this motion because we need to stand for the interest of our people.”
After the motion was adopted by the upper legislative chamber, Senate President Ahmad Lawan said Multichoice can’t constantly increase prices in other countries.
Announcing the decision for a downward review of prices, the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan said:
“What DStv Nigeria is doing here, they can’t do it in many countries, but here they do it and get away with it. So we need to have a public hearing. ur ad-hoc committee should be given the mandate to do a whole scale investigation. The Committee has one month to report back to the Senate and at the end of the day, we should have all these unnecessary payments we make to DSTV Nigeria reversed if they can’t justify it”
The Senate also directed the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, and the Nigerian Communications Commission to direct all pay-tv providers to introduce a pay-per-view model of subscription.
The pricing has generated divergent views from Nigerians:
@biolakazeem: This obsession with DSTV prices is just really absurd. If you consider them too expensive despite all the various bouquets on offer, simply don’t pay. If you can understand the bread and pure water being more expensive, you are being deliberately obtuse to be outraged about DSTV price hikes.
@_SirWilliam_: I personally want DSTV to implement Pay-Per-View so that Nigerians will learn their lesson and shut up.. There is no point in speaking English, just Like Border Closure. Nigerians only learn economic lessons through consequences.
@Seyi__: Do constituents actually call their senators to complain about DSTV or what? They see bad roads, fuel scarcity but choose to complain about cable tv?
@JajaPhD: Nigerians will keep attacking DSTV prices until the company shuts down and Nigerians lose jobs and livelihood.
Leave a reply