New Pay-TV Launches in Abuja

Nigeria’s robust television viewing public had its yearnings fulfilled as #LuftPay-TV, a new TV Network that offers pay par-view billing option opened for business this evening in Abuja. Performing the launch, governors Abdullahi Sule and Caleb Mutfweng of Nasarawa and Plateau states, respectively called on the viewing public to embrace the new network which presents an obvious alternative to the present arrangement which offers no options for pay par view. In particular, Governor Sule compared pay tv to the system in the communication industry where phone calls are paid per second. Governor Mutfweng said Luft Pay-TV had come at a very good time when Nigerians are coping with cost of living crisis and yearning for cost efficiency. The highpoint of the event was the unveiling of the Luft Pay-TV decoders to the audience.

Court stops Dstv, Gotv from increasing subscription prices

A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an order to halt the planned increase in subscription prices by Multichoice Nigeria Limited, the operator of DStv and GOtv. The court’s decision comes in response to Multichoice’s announcement of a forthcoming price increment across its DStv and GOtv packages, set to take effect from May 1, 2024.  The company cited a rise in the cost of business operations in Nigeria due to price adjustments. According to the notice signed by Multichoice CEO John Ugbe, subscribers received via email, the new prices for DStv packages included increases for the Premium package, now priced at N37,000 monthly, up from the current N29,500 subscription fee.  Similarly, the Compact+ bouquet increased to N25,000 from N19,800 monthly, while the Compact bouquet would cost N15,700 instead of the current N12,500. For GOtv users, price adjustments were also announced, with increases across packages such as Supa Plus, Supa, Max, and Jolli. However, the court’s intervention has temporarily put a stop to the planned price increases, offering relief to subscribers who expressed concerns over the successive hikes in subscription fees over the past year. Multichoice had faced criticism for the frequency of its subscription fee increments, with this being the third increase in the past year alone.