In an effort to regain market share, MultiChoice Nigeria has announced a price cut for its DSTV decoder, reducing the price by 50%.
Multichoice said in an announcement on Tuesday that it was reducing the price of the decoder from ₦20,000 to ₦10,000. saying it was part of a wider campaign to improve value and reward customer loyalty amid worsening economic hardship.
The move comes as the pay-TV giant battles to regain subscribers, having lost over a million customers across Africa in two years. MultiChoice Nigeria halved
“We want to ensure our customers feel appreciated and have access to the best entertainment every day,” said John Ugbe, CEO of MultiChoice Nigeria, in a statement quoted by Punch.
The price cut is part of its new “We Got You” campaign and will be complemented by a free bouquet upgrade offer. Between June 16 and July 31, active and returning subscribers who renew their DStv subscription in full will be automatically bumped up to the next plan tier.
MultiChoice said the offers are a direct response to “the noticeable economic impact on the everyday lives of Nigerians.” But they also mark a strategic pivot after years of aggressive price hikes drove customers away.
Price surge
MultiChoice raised prices three times between April 2023 and May 2024, each time citing inflation, FX volatility, and operational costs. But the result was steep customer losses: 1.4 million subscribers vanished in Nigeria between March 2023 and March 2025.
The Nigerian market alone accounted for over 77% of all subscriber losses in MultiChoice’s “Rest of Africa” business, according to its latest financials. The group now counts just 7.5 million subscribers outside South Africa, down from 9.3 million in 2023.
The decoder discount and free upgrade are therefore more than goodwill – they’re damage control. “By repositioning itself as a platform for daily value, DStv aims to encourage content discovery across a wider array of genres, including movies, drama, kids’ programming, and news,” the company said in its releases.
Ugbe also acknowledged the need to move beyond sports-centric marketing: “DStv offers something for everyone, not just football fans,” he said.
Despite the offers, the company’s troubles may not be easily reversed. Rising inflation, a weak naira, fuel scarcity, and worsening power supply have left many homes struggling to prioritize pay-TV. At the same time, streaming platforms and piracy are eating into its market share.
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