By faith Adama
MultiChoice Group, Africa’s leading pay-TV provider, revealed on Tuesday a significant drop in Nigerian subscriptions, reporting a loss of 243,000 DStv and GOtv customers from April to September 2024.
The company attributed this sharp decline to Nigeria’s inflation, which has surged over 30%, driven by escalating costs in food, fuel, and electricity.
This marks a troubling trend for MultiChoice, which previously disclosed an 18% subscriber loss in Nigeria in March 2024.
In its latest financial update, the group reported an 11% year-on-year decrease in its linear subscriber base across Africa, with the total falling by 1.8 million to 14.9 million subscribers.
Nigeria and Zambia saw the most substantial losses, with 243,000 and 298,000 customers, respectively, choosing to cancel their subscriptions.
Dissatisfied customers are increasingly vocal, with some considering alternative providers.
One user on X (formerly Twitter), @DamilareOdulesi, commented, “They would lose more. It’s football that’s making many young people subscribe to DStv. Now, alternatives are everywhere, and all you need is a good internet.”
This decline signals a potential shift in Nigeria’s pay-TV landscape as economic pressures mount and subscribers explore other options.
