MultiChoice Slashes DStv Decoder Price by 50% to Lure New Subscribers

In a bold bid to reverse its subscriber slump, MultiChoice Nigeria has cut the price of its DStv decoder by half from ₦20,000 to ₦10,000 as part of a major push to re-engage customers hit by rising costs and economic hardship.

Announcing the offer on Tuesday, Chief Executive Officer John Ugbe described the move as a gesture of appreciation and an effort to deliver “enhanced value” to loyal customers. “We want to ensure our customers feel appreciated and have access to the best entertainment every day,” Ugbe said.

Dubbed the “We Got You” campaign, the initiative isn’t just about affordability, it’s a repositioning strategy. “DStv is more than football,” Ugbe explained, “and by showcasing the diversity of our content, from movies and drama to kids’ shows and news, we are encouraging broader content discovery across households.”

The company also introduced a free upgrade promotion, running from June 16 to July 31, 2025, which grants customers an automatic bump to the next higher DStv package when they fully pay for their current subscription tier. This is aimed at easing the financial strain many Nigerians face while keeping them engaged with richer content offerings.

The changes come on the heels of an exodus of 1.4 million subscribers between March 2023 and March 2025, a decline attributed to economic pressures and backlash against three price hikes in just 12 months. The first came in April 2023, followed by increases in November 2023 and May 2024, after a fourth hike was announced in April.

MultiChoice says the decoder price cut and package promotions are a direct response to these market realities. “It’s a recognition of how deeply economic conditions are affecting everyday Nigerians,” the company stated.

As competition stiffens in Nigeria’s media space and consumers turn increasingly to streaming alternatives, MultiChoice appears to be recalibrating not just to recover lost ground, but to recast itself as an accessible, daily-value platform for a broader audience.