Earlyface

The parent company of DStv and GOtv, MultiChoice Africa, has announced plans to slash DStv subscription fees across East Africa.

The company revealed that from September 1, 2019, there will be a reduction in monthly fees for DStv consumers in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique.



Ugandan subscribers, for instance, will get a 30% reduction whilst Kenyan subscribers will witness 5% to up to almost 37% price reduction.

A representative of the company stated that not all these countries will have the same price reduction changes because each country has different cost structures influenced by local dynamics such as inflation, content costs, foreign exchange rates, local taxes, and overheads required for each business.
In Mozambique, prices of DStv Portuguese packages including DStv Bue, DStv Grande+, DStv Grande, and DStv Fácil will be reduced. However, DStv Business, as well as GOtv Plus and GOtv Lite subscription fees will be increased.

MultiChoice is not the only satellite TV provider that has slashed subscription fees in recent times. In April, StarTimes, a Chinese-owned company, reducing prices for its customers in a number of African countries.

In 2016, MultiChoice Nigeria was probed by the Nigerian Senate over alleged unwholesome practices and unreasonable subscription hikes across their various bouquets. In spite of the probe, the company increased DStv subscription fees twice between 2017 and 2018.

MultiChoice has not revealed if the reduction in the subscription fees will be extended to other parts of Africa. In March and April 2019 respectively, there was an inflation in DStv subscription fees in Namibia, Zambia, and South Africa.