MultiChoice shelves April DStv price hike as Canal+ eyes subscriber growth

MULTICHOICE has broken with tradition by suspending its usual April increase in DStv subscription fees, marking a notable policy shift under new majority owner Canal+.

In remarks to TechCentral, MultiChoice Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr David Mignot, confirmed that subscribers will not face higher tariffs this April. The decision comes as the broadcaster works to stem significant customer losses across its footprint, offering relief to households that have come to expect annual adjustments at this time of year.

Asked directly whether the company would follow its established pattern of April hikes, Mr Mignot was unequivocal: there will be no increase. He said management’s priority is rebuilding the subscriber base, making this an inappropriate moment to raise prices.

He noted, however, that while no adjustment is planned for April, the door has not been completely closed on possible changes later in the year, particularly if external pressures such as sharp currency movements necessitate a review.

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Historically, MultiChoice has revised DStv pricing each April, often attributing increases to inflation and escalating content costs. In April 2025, subscription fees were lifted by between 2.1 percent and 7.9 percent. The DStv Premium bouquet climbed from R929 to R979 per month, while the entry-level DStv Access package was among those that recorded the largest percentage increases.

This year’s freeze signals a departure from that long-standing pattern and forms part of a broader strategic reset following Canal+’s takeover of MultiChoice in September 2025.

Mr Mignot, a pay television executive with roughly 30 years’ experience, has framed his mandate in straightforward terms: arrest the slide in subscriber numbers and return the group to growth.

Multichoice’s lower customer base

The scale of the challenge is reflected in recent figures. Economy Post earlier reported that Multichoice lost 2.7 million subscribers between 2023 and end of 2025 due to combination of several factors, including cheaper streaming alternatives, low income and tight economic policies across Africa.

From a high of 17.2 million subscribers in 2023, the pay-TV firm’s subscriptions fell to 14.5 million by the end of 2025 and is expected to fall further due to local and global issues impacting its services. As of June 2024, the company had lost 1.4 million subscribers.

Canal+ faces a number of challenges. Its customers across Africa are hard hit by shrinking wallets and policy flop-flops. Across Africa, subscribers are switiching to cheaper options, including IPTV, SLTV, Andriod TV box, eVOD, among others. As DSTV raises rates, subcribers are forced to seek alternative streaming platforms that can give them same value at cheaper rates.

Sweeping reforms have been introduced in Nigeria to turn the nation from command and control to market-driven economy, but high level of poverty persists. About 133 million citizens are in multidimensional poverty. The middle-class, which should patronise companies like DSTV, has been wiped out by years of policy flip-flops.

South Africa has eliminated power shortages and now tackles logistics bottlenecks preventing the economy from benefitting from a boom in metals including gold and platinum. Yet, the reforms have not lifted millions out of poverty.

“The pace of growth remains insufficient to meaningfully reduce extreme poverty or create the quantity and quality of jobs needed to meet the demands of a rapidly growing labor force,” the World Bank said in October 2025.
“Africa is experiencing the world’s largest and fastest demographic shift. To harness this opportunity, countries must accelerate growth that delivers high-quality jobs.”

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MultiChoice Nigeria’s subscription revenue declined by 44 percent to $197.74 million in the financial year ended March 2025, down from $355.93 million recorded in the same period a year earlier, as rising inflation and a worsening economic climate triggered a mass exit of subscribers.

The sharp revenue drop was driven by “sizeable customer losses in Nigeria as high inflation adds more pressure on consumers,” the company said in its latest financial report.

“Nigeria’s economic challenges had a significant impact on our Rest of Africa operations, contributing to a 23 per cent drop in RoA subscription revenue to $779.66m,” said Chief Executive Officer, MultiChoice Group, Mr Calvo Mawela.