In a strategic effort to recover from a significant decline in its customer base, Multichoice Nigeria has reduced the DStv decoder price by 50%, slashing it from ₦20,000 to ₦10,000. The announcement, which was made in a company statement on Tuesday, also comes with a free subscription upgrade offer as part of a broader campaign to woo back lost subscribers and attract new ones.
The new initiative, tagged “We Got You,” will run from June 16 to July 31, 2025, and allows active and returning subscribers to receive an automatic upgrade to the next DStv package tier when they renew their current subscription in full. The company emphasized that this offer is its response to the economic hardship currently faced by many Nigerians.
Multichoice’s aggressive offer follows massive subscriber losses
Multichoice Group, the parent company of DStv and GOtv, recently disclosed in its financial report that it lost 1.4 million subscribers between March 2023 and March 2025. Of this figure, Nigeria alone accounted for 77% of the total drop recorded across the company’s “Rest of Africa” (RoA) operations.
The RoA operations saw their subscriber base dwindle from 9.3 million in 2023 to 7.5 million in 2025, largely driven by Nigeria’s exit due to rising subscription costs and declining consumer spending.
Multichoice Nigeria’s CEO, John Ugbe, noted that the decision to slash the DStv decoder price and provide content upgrades was a deliberate effort to restore value for customers and demonstrate appreciation for their loyalty.
“We want to ensure our customers feel appreciated and have access to the best entertainment every day,” Ugbe said. “The ‘We Got You’ campaign is about making premium content more accessible and showing that DStv offers something for everyone, not just football fans.”
According to Ugbe, the brand aims to reposition itself as a platform that delivers daily value, encouraging viewers to explore a broader range of content, including movies, kids’ programming, drama, and news.
Regulatory pressure and legal battles may have influenced the timing
While Multichoice claims its price reduction is motivated by customer needs, there is growing speculation that regulatory pressure may have accelerated the timing of the decision.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) had recently initiated legal proceedings against Multichoice Nigeria and its executives, including CEO John Ugbe, for obstructing investigations into alleged unfair business practices. On May 8, 2025, the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled against Multichoice in a separate suit where the company sought to legitimize its frequent subscription price hikes.
Following the ruling and pending court actions, industry analysts believe the decoder price slash may be an attempt to rebuild public goodwill and demonstrate responsiveness to consumer feedback.
Price hikes alienated many Nigerian customers
Between April 2023 and May 2024, Multichoice Nigeria raised the prices of its DStv and GOtv bouquet subscriptions three times, once in April 2023, again in November 2023, and most recently in April 2024. The steep and frequent increases frustrated many customers, particularly as the economic situation in the country continued to worsen.
The backlash against the price hikes was swift. Social media outrage, regulatory scrutiny, and customer migration to streaming platforms all contributed to a noticeable drop in subscriber loyalty.
Industry observers argue that while the price reduction of the DStv decoder is a positive step, it may take more to win back customer trust and stabilize the company’s market share.
A new direction for Multichoice Nigeria?
The “We Got You” campaign signals a pivot from Multichoice’s recent strategy of upward pricing to one that emphasizes value, accessibility, and customer engagement.
By making it easier for new customers to access the service and existing customers to enjoy upgraded packages at no extra cost, the company appears to be correcting course after years of consumer dissatisfaction.
Still, questions remain about how sustainable this model will be, especially if economic pressures persist or worsen. Multichoice Nigeria will need to back this offer with improved customer service, stable pricing, and greater transparency if it hopes to regain and retain its customer base.
Conclusion
With the dramatic drop in the DStv decoder price, Multichoice Nigeria is responding to both market pressure and consumer sentiment. Whether this marks the beginning of a more customer-focused era remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the battle to reclaim its place in Nigerian homes is officially on.
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