The Federal Festival and Shopper Coverage Fee has summoned MultiChoice Nigeria, the operator of DStv and GOtv, to provide an explanation for its deliberate subscription worth build up, i’m ready to speed impact on March 1, 2025.
In a observation on Tuesday, FCCPC’s Director of Company Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, mentioned the regulator had ordered MultiChoice’s Leading Govt Officer to look at its headquarters on February 27 for an investigative listening to.
The summons comes next the pay-TV introduced on Monday a 21 according to cent build up within the subscription rate for its DStv Compact package deal, elevating the associated fee from N15,700 to N19,000 amongst alternative changes in worth.
The announcement induced common complaint from subscribers, lots of whom took to social media to specific frustration over prevalent worth hikes.
The shopper watchdog, in its observation, expressed issues over the ordinary unilateral worth will increase, ultimatum that such movements carry severe questions on equity, marketplace abuse, and doable anti-competitive practices.
“Exercising its mandate beneath Categories 32 and 33 of the FCCPA, the FCCPC directed the Leading Govt Officer of MultiChoice Nigeria to wait an investigative listening to on the fee’s headquarters on Thursday, February 27, 2025.
“This motion follows MultiChoice’s formal notification of the associated fee adjustment, which raises issues about recurrent unilateral worth hikes, doable marketplace dominance abuse, and perceived anti-competitive practices within the pay-TV trade.
“The FCCPC is deeply concerned that Nigerian consumers continue to face frequent price increases, amid accusations that MultiChoice applies different pricing strategies in other markets, heightening questions about fairness and market abuse”, the observation in part learn.
The regulator warned that failure to handover a adequate rationalization or any violation of truthful marketplace rules may just lead to consequences, sanctions, or alternative corrective measures.
The FCCPC additionally showed that it’s attractive the field regulator and alternative related companies to safeguard truthful festival and more potent shopper coverage in Nigeria’s pay-TV trade.