World Cup: Slash subscription fees, not decoder’s price, subscribers tell Multichoice

Following the recent slash of the prices of Digital System for Television and GOtv decoders, some subscribers have queried Multichoice Nigeria for what they describe as misplaced priority.
The subscribers, who spoke with our correspondent in separate interviews, said the company ought to reduce the bouquet prices to boost patronage from existing and potential customers and not reducing the prices of decoder, which is a one-off thing.
One of the DSTV subscribers, Mr. Bolaji Adedayo, lamented that the company should have slashed the monthly subscription instead of trying to make a promo to sell their products.
He said, “It is a misplaced priority because some of us cannot subscribe for months due to the increasing prices of bouquets. What is the use a cheap decoder that you will pay fortunes to maintain in the long run?”
Another subscriber and owner of a viewing centre, Mr. Segun Adeniyi, alleged that the development was “another scam from Multichoice.”
He said, “If it desires to do promo, it should slash subscription prices as slashing decoder prices is luring more people into their system of indebtedness. The same decoders are even given out free all over the world.
Adeniyi added that the company should reduce the subscription rate and not the decoder cost and for once, reward its teeming patrons across Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Multichoice had said its DSTV HD decoder, which includes a dish kit and one month subscription on the compact bouquet, will sell for N8, 500, which is a 14 per cent decrease from the previous price of N9, 900.
The company also said the Gotv decoder, which comes with antenna and one month subscription on Gotv Max will sell for N5,900.
General Manager, Sales and Marketing, Multichoice Nigeria, Mr. Martin Mabutho, said, “The FIFA World Cup is football’s biggest event, featuring the best players and national teams all fighting for one ultimate prize.
“Nigerians can enjoy all the games from the comfort of their homes and on the go with up to five mobile devices via the DStv Now app. We will also be providing exclusive live coverage from Russia with expert analyses from the biggest football professionals among other benefits.”