DSTV and GOTV: Nigerians react as MultiChoice announces over 243,000 loss in Africa

Nigerians have taken to their social media handles to react to the Interim Financial Results for the period ending September 30 released on Tuesday, which stated that the MultiChoice group has lost over 243,000 subscribers on its DStv and GOtv in Africa.

According to the Diaspora Digital Media (DDM), MultiChoice reported that operations in Africa have suffered a significant setback, losing 566,000 subscribers in just six months, accounting Zambia and Nigeria for the majority of the decline.

The South African-owned pay-TV operator connected it loss to the country’s soaring inflation rate, which has surpassed 30%.

It stated “the economic downturn has led to increased costs of basic necessities like food, electricity, and fuel, forcing many customers to cut back on non-essential services, including their DStv and Gotv subscriptions.”

Reactions of Nigerians

Many Nigerians who followed the recent announcement by the MultiChoice group, have expressed their dissatisfaction and also stated that they are no longer interested because of its inflation, putting into consideration the current economic situation in the country.

@realbl reacted stating “MultiChoice lost 243,000 subs because there is a Multi-hunger in Nigeria. More so, there are now multiple choices replacing MultiChoice on our tablets when we need to watch soccer.”

@NdubuisiNC posted “The downfall of this company in Nigeria will be televised and will be sweet to me.

Another Nigerian reacted “A company this big can’t improve on their content? Nigerians have cried for years about how boring it is, only football channels are what’s keeping most of us.”

@Jatiti_O wrote “You people haven’t realized that people don’t watch TV anymore. They go out in the hot Sun to look for money

@ribaduabubakar2 said  “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

@ekoh posted “Not only bad economy but also everyday increase in their monthly tariff. If they want to bounce back, they should cut their subscription price and make it a pay-as-you-go.”

Know about Multichoice group

MultiChoice Group is a South African-based satellite TV company that operates in Sub-Saharan Africa, offering a range of popular services including DStv, GOtv, and Showmax.

It was founded in 1994, the company has grown significantly over the years, with a total subscriber base of 20.1 million viewers across Africa as of 2020 ¹.

Services Offered

It offers DStv, a direct broadcast satellite service available in 54 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, GOtv, a digital terrestrial television platform broadcasting in 11 African countries, Showmax, an online video-on-demand subscription service launched in 2015, and SuperSport, a collection of sports channels broadcast on satellite and terrestrial services.

History and Expansion

MultiChoice was formed out of the subscriber-management branch of M-Net, a terrestrial pay television company ¹. The company launched its analogue services in 20 African countries in 1992, later replacing them with digital services in 1996.

In 2018, MultiChoice listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) as a separate entity from its parent company, Naspers.

Controversies and Partnerships

MultiChoice has faced controversies surrounding its dominance in the pay-TV market and calls for regulation of Netflix and other OTT providers.

The company has also partnered with various organizations, including the University of Pretoria to foster development of skills in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

In 2024, MultiChoice announced a partnership with Comcast to offer a standalone Premier League streaming plan on its Showmax platform.

Recent Developments

In February 2023, French media company Groupe Canal+ acquired a 30.27% stake in the company, which eventually increased to 31.7%. Nearly a year later, on February 1, 2024, Canal+ made an offer to MultiChoice’s investors to acquire remaining shares, subject to regulatory approval, offering a price of R105 per share, 40% higher than the price of R75 offered the previous day

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