MultiChoice says there will be no DStv subscription price hike in 2026

MultiChoice Group has announced that DStv subscribers will not face any price hike this year. This is the first time the Pay-TV company will not be adjusting its price in April, as it has in previous years.

In a discussion with TechCentral, MultiChoice CEO David Mignot, explained that the company, under the new leadership of Canal+, will be breaking the traditional yearly price hike. He added that such an adjustment is not appropriate at a time when building a renewed relationship with subscribers is underway.

“No, we are not,” Mignot said about the price hike, adding that “I want to give a clear answer, because we are building subscribers, so it’s not the right time to increase pricing.”

However, he did not entirely rule out the possibility of a price adjustment later in the year, in case it’s necessary for operational or earnings adjustment. For instance, in the case of currency devaluation.

While there have been concerns over waning popularity and a depleting subscriber base, MultiChoice has continued to hike subscription prices across major markets such as Nigeria, Uganda, and South Africa.

For instance, MultiChoice has raised subscription fees yearly across the last three years in the Nigerian market. The first was in April 2023, in November 2023, and another increment was announced in April 2024 and took effect on May 1. 

The latest was the one which took effect on March 1, 2025. The DStv Compact bouquet went up from N15,700 to N19,000, the Compact Plus to N30,000, and the Premium subscription to N44,500. Also, GOtv subscription was up from N3,600 to N3,900, while the tariff on GOtv Plus rose from N4,850 to N5,800.

Under the new administration, which took over affairs following the acquisition of MultiChoice by Canal+ in September 2025, Mignot noted that the goal is to stop the bleeding of customers and focus on growth. 

MultiChoice woes: Content vs commercialisation 

Recall that in its latest financial results for the year ended March 31, 2025, MultiChoice Group reported a 8% year-on-year decline of 1.2 million in active subscribers to 14.5 million. In the previous year, it lost about 1.6 million subscribers. 

Over the past two years, MultiChoice has lost 2.8 million subscribers. It also saw a $576.5 million (R10.2 billion) negative impact as a result of the depreciation of African currencies against the US dollar.

The company attributed the downturn to a combination of macroeconomic pressures, rampant piracy, intense competition from global streaming platforms, and substantial investments in its streaming service, Showmax.

In his reaction, Mignot explained that the MultiChoice problem is not about the quality of content but lies in the strategies and approach to commercialisation. He said subscriber declines are a result of failure in the company’s commercial execution and engines. 

“Content is fantastic. I mean, if you take sport, for example … the depth, the range of content at MultiChoice – SuperSport and M-Net and Africa Magic and everything – is incredible. Investment in content is incredible. But the commercial engine is not powerful enough in order to sustain the equipped portfolio,” he clarified.

As part of its strategy to provide affordable options for customers, MultiChoice introduced a shared payment option. The feature enables DStv subscribers to share the cost of their monthly subscription with another person.

The feature, live on the MyDStv app, lets a primary account holder send a payment link to someone else, a friend, partner, or family member to contribute toward a single subscription. Each bill can only be split between two people.

Read More: MultiChoice now lets DSTV users split subscription costs.

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