Nigerian subscriber withdraws lawsuit against MultiChoice’s 21% price increase

A MultiChoice Nigeria subscriber and legal practitioner, Festus Onifade, has withdrawn a lawsuit against the DStv and GOtv operator over its recent 21 per cent subscription adjustment. This signifies an end to a months-long legal dispute over consumer rights and tariff adjustments.

According to court documents, the DSTV subscriber filed a notice of discontinuance at the Federal High Court in Abuja on April 7 to withdraw the suit against MultiChoice and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC). “This suit is hereby wholly discontinued against the defendants,” the filing said, citing no explanation for the action.

Following the announcement of the price adjustment on February 24, effective March 1, Onifade filed a case registered as FHC/ABJ/CS/363/2025 on February 27. He also wrote to MultiChoice demanding a suspension of the hike and asked the FCCPC to investigate, warning that failure to act would force him to seek legal redress.

Onifade noted in his affidavit that MultiChoice’s 8-day notice period violated Section 128 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018, which requires companies to give consumers adequate notice to assess changes and make informed decisions.

“The eight-day’ window… is unjust, unfair, unreasonable, illegal, grossly inadequate and a breach of my consumer rights,” he wrote, citing MultiChoice’s dominant role in broadcasting Premier League and European football matches in Nigeria.

In addition, the legal practitioner referenced a pending case of 2022 stemming from a price hike where a tribunal ruled against the pay-TV company. Onifade explained that this unresolved appeal birthed further tariff adjustments owing to procedural flaws and a lack of jurisdiction. 

In his February 27 filing, Onifade demanded several remedies such as a declaration that the notice period was unlawful, an order suspending the March 1 hike, and N22m in damages and legal costs. Meanwhile, the court gave MultiChoice until May 29 to respond.

No response was documented at withdrawal time with the adjustment in action.

Onifade’s withdrawal, coming a month later, has now ended the legal proceedings in absence of the court’s ruling. The discontinuance, signed by Onifade and his colleagues Sa’adah Abdulmalik and Ahmad Usman Ahmad, was served to MultiChoice and the FCCPC. 

Also Read: 21% increase: Court restrains FCCPC from taking administrative actions against Multichoice.

Despite all, MultiChoice’s price hike stands

In a similar case filed by the consumers’ protector amid MultiChoice’s 21 per cent price hike, the Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that the FCCPC should refrain from taking administrative steps against the DStv and GOtv parent company.

FCCPC had earlier summoned MultiChoice to appear on February 27 for an investigative hearing on its subscription price adjustment and to retain its existing subscription prices until it concludes the investigation. 

In its motion, the pay-TV company sought an order of interim injunction that halts the FCCPC from carrying out the threatened prosecution or taking any steps capable of disrupting the business activities of MultiChoice, pending the hearing and determination of the motion for an interlocutory injunction.

“An order of interim injunction restraining the FCCPC, its agents, servants, or privies from sanctioning or penalizing MultiChoice (the applicant) in any manner whatsoever concerning its price increase pending the hearing and determination of the motion for an interlocutory injunction,” the suit added.

The court ruling further placed a question mark on FCCPC’s authority and power to protect consumers’ interests. The commission had stated that the recurring unilateral price adjustment raises critical questions on the ethics of fairness, market abuse, and potential anti-competitive practices.

Multichoice revealed its plan to increase subscription prices across various packages, which has been effective since March 2025, as the cost of the DStv Compact bouquet rose from N15,700 to N19,000. Notably, the adjustment comes nearly a year after the last price review.

While defending the action, the company attributes the price increase to Nigeria’s economic challenges such as naira depreciation, high energy costs, and inflation. It stressed that its action was borne from unbending economic pressures, ranging from inflation to operational costs.

The hikes have, however, been a source of irritation for Nigerian subscribers, the majority of whom are pressed by the rising costs in other important aspects of daily living.

In another defence to the price increase, the company argued that its subscription rates in Nigeria are the lowest among all the countries where it operates.