DSTV: We’ll not operate pay as you view system – Multichoice

Multichoice, the digital satellite television operator announced on Friday that the company would not operate the “pay as you view’’ tariff system in Nigeria, in spite of demands for such.

The Chief Customer Officer of Multichoice, Mr Martin Mabutho, made the statement in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Mabutho’s stance comes against the backdrop of persistent clamour by the company’s teeming subscribers for the introduction of a pay as you view tariff plan in Africa’s most populous nation.

“We are not going to introduce pay as you view system. Our contract with our suppliers is on month to month basis,’’ he stated.

South Africa’s Multichoice has dominated the satellite broadcast space in Nigeria since the past 25 years and has remained adamant not to introduce the pay as you view system.

“The issue of not introducing pay as you view remains. Nothing will change it.

“We are not going to do it. Our contract with our suppliers are month to month basis. The channels do not belong to Multichoice.

“What we do is to slash our prices in half to make our customers enjoy our services.’’

Mabutho said Multichoice would continue to give acquisition promos or loyalty promos to customers every quarter as incentives.

Customers pay on month to month basis to enjoy the services of the company whether channels are watched or not.

Customers on the premium dual-view platform pay N18, 000 monthly to watch various channels, while those on compact plus pay N10, 650 to have access to about 173 channels.

Similarly, those on Compact platform pay N6, 800 monthly, while customers on Family pay N4000 to have access to109 channels on the network.

Those on GOTV Max pay N3, 200 to watch 72 channels, while those on Plus pay N1, 900 monthly to have access to 64 channels, among other tariff plans.

Multichoice opened shop in Nigeria in 1994.

Credit: NAN