Broadcasting company, Multichoice, on Wednesday, increased the prices of its offerings in Nigeria four months after its last increment.p

The company reviewed prices in its packages across the board. The new prices will take effect from May 1, 2024.

With the latest price hike, the DStv Premium package increased from N29,500 to N37,000. Similarly, the DStv Compact+ went up from N19,800 to N25,000 while the Compact package increased from N12,500 to N15,700.

The Comfam package moved from N7,400 to N9,300. Yanga package moved up from 4,200 to N5,100 while Padi package increased from N2,950 to N3,600. HDPVR was increased from N4,000 to N5,000, the Access Fees package from N4,000 to N5,000, and XtraView moved from N4,000 to N5,000.

Meanwhile, the Gotv Supa+ package moved from N12,500 to N15,700, Supa package from N7,600 to N9,600, and Max package from N5,700 to N7,200.

While the Jolli package was increased from N3,950 to N4,850, the Jinja package moved from N2,700 to N3,300, and Smallie package from N1,300 to N1,575.

The upward review of the broadcasting company’s offerings has stirred mixed reactions online, with social media users arguing that the increment was coming at the wrong time.

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Reacting to the hike on X, a social media user, Kelvin Odanz, who tweets as @MrOdanz, asked Nigerians to explore other options rather than complain about the increase.

He wrote, “If you can afford stable Internet, there are so many other services you can use aside from DSTV. For football and other entertainment. Because aside football, nothing dey DSTV. Explore these options and stop whining.

“I am not even a fan of DSTV one bit. Aside from football, there’s basically nothing of note there. But this whole outrage over them hiking their price is quite hypocritical. Everyone has hiked the price of their goods/services. Even small businesses. So why shouldn’t DSTV do same?

Sharing his sentiment, @Letter_to_Jack said, “Electricity tariffs increased: Small rage. Cement prices through the roof: Small rage. Diesel to 1700/L at a point: Small rage. Indomie at 13k = small rage. Dstv increases prices: OUTRAGE! At this point, you’d think DSTV/MultiChoice is the only trigger Nigerians have.”

On his part, David Ofor, said while the price increase was understandable, it was important for the broadcasting company to justify it by offering value for the money.

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He wrote, “I understand the fact that Multichoice is operating in a free market economy, and Govt has limited control mechanism in such. What people are complaining about is not primarily the price hike, but, the static content being provided, DSTV and GoTV have not improved on their services despite the plethora of increments over the years.

“They should justify the payments made, more so, why are they increasing now that Diesel prices are coming down and Naira is strengthening?”

While the debate continues, PUNCH Online looks at other alternatives Nigerians can consider for their pleasure.

DSTV — Despite the mixed reactions that greeted the increase, many Nigerians will continue with the broadcasting company. With several increments, Multichoice still boasts customers’ loyalty among other alternatives offering the same services.

Many households prefer DStv and GOtv as their source of entertainment. This may not be unconnected to the company’s premium in international sports broadcasting, particularly European leagues and UEFA Champions League.

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When contacted on Friday, the spokesperson for Multichoice Nigeria, Caroline Oghuma, said despite the hike, subscribers can still enjoy their current price for the next year with a “Price Lock” incentive.

“With Price Lock, you can continue to pay your current subscription for up to a year, if you pay before your due date, each month,” Oghuma told our correspondent.

Star Times — The company, a major player in the Asian country’s Pay-TV market, has a considerable market share in some African countries, including Nigeria and Kenya.

Startimes has channels that include news, music, movies, and football channels, including exclusive rights to some football content.

The company recently secured the non-exclusive broadcast rights for the Spanish topflight league, LaLiga EA Sports and LaLiga Hypermotion, for the next five seasons.

LaLiga EA Sports is the premier football league in Spain and is considered one of the top professional leagues in the world, featuring 20 teams.

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SLTV — SLTV is a premier satellite television company based in Nigeria. This direct-to-home satellite TV platform is operated by Metro Digital Limited.

Metro Digital SLTV has over 50 HD channels with 10 Sports channels that show live football matches from the Premier League, Champions League, Laliga, Seria A, and UEL among others with a monthly subscription ranging from N5,000 and N2,500.

“The objective of SLTV is to provide premium digital TV content to homes covering sports, entertainment, and news at affordable prices.

“SLTV is a customer-focused organization and we do everything possible to ensure that all our customers are satisfied,” the company wrote on its website.

Android TV Box — Android TV Box is entertainment equipment that is connected to a TV set that allows you to enjoy your favourite films, videos, series, live programmes, and games.

These versatile devices can stream content to your television, play locally stored files, video games, and more. The devices are affordable, with options to pay for streaming services of choice. An Android TV box connects to a TV through the HDMI connection on the back. Various streaming services and apps may then be viewed on your TV rather than on a tablet or laptop.

FireStick — Amazon Fire Stick is a streaming device that plugs into your TV’s HDMI port and gives you access to a variety of streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and HBO Max.

You don’t need to pay a monthly fee to use the Fire TV Stick itself, but Prime membership increases its value.