'Multichoice blaming FX crunch, high energy costs for DStv, GOtv price hikes' - FCCPC

The Acting Executive Vice Chairman of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Dr Adamu Abdullahi has revealed that Multichoice stated in a four-page letter, the reasons why they have increased the price of their cable services, GOtv and DStv.

In an interview with Channels TV on Sunday, April 28, 2024, Abdullahi said that the company disclosed that they increased their prices due to the cost of electricity, generator operations and poor access to dollars.

Abdullahi stated that the commission will take a critical look at the reasons identified by Multichoice, adding that they will get regulatory bodies such as the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) involved in the process.

He said: “We got a four-page letter from Multichoice, telling us the reason that led to this price increase. What we need to do is to bring in NCC and maybe NBC and Multichoice, sit down and look at all these variables that they claim caused the rise in prices.

“At a glance, we saw things like the cost of electricity, running generators, the cost of dollars for spare parts and so on. We’ll go through these items individually and find out how they have affected their operations.

“By and large, that’s the claim of what they are doing because they are a dominant player in this market. People have no choice but to go to them for Cable television, so that’s why they are doing what they are doing.

“If by any chance we find out or we can confirm that that’s what they are doing, again we go back to the law and do what we are supposed to do.”

Recall that Multichoice Nigeria, announced a price increase for its DStv and GOtv packages by at least 25%.

This makes it the third increment since 2023, after the initial adjustment implemented on May 1, 2023. Multichoice revealed that the latest increase will take effect from Wednesday, May 1, 2024.

BEB