Movies, music, news, and football enthusiasts who enjoy watching DSTv have recently experienced a hike in the pricing of their various subscriptions.

Although these specialised content packages are designed to attract and retain clientele, particularly during major sporting events, subscribers have lamented the price increase.

In response to this development, the Corporate Affairs Manager of MultiChoice, Nii Amah Dagadu, has attributed the increase to high taxes, the depreciation of the local currency against major trading currencies, especially the US dollar, the high cost of operations, high inflation, and the unstable state of the economy.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb Business on the sidelines of the MultiChoice content showcase 2024 in Accra on Friday, May 10, 2024, he explained, "There are quite a number of factors that contribute. One is the cost of operations in the market where you are operating; another is the stability of your local currency; there are also taxes that you have to pay."

He added, "If you look across the continent, in all 54 countries where DSTV operates, our pricing in dollar terms is consistent; it's the same. The difference comes from tax variations."

"In Ghana, for example, you pay almost 29% in tax, while in Nigeria it's 7%, in South Africa about 5%, and in Namibia, it's 0%. So, you can only imagine," Nii Amah Dagadu stated.

MultiChoice has steadily expanded its channel offerings, producing more than 6,500 hours of local content in Africa, bringing its impressive content library to a total of 76,000 hours across 40 languages in 50 countries.

According to reports, the content reaches more than 21.7 million households daily.

In South Africa, MultiChoice's highest package, DStv Premium, currently goes for $49.36 a month, while in Kenya, the same package costs $78 per month.

In Nigeria, DStv Premium now costs $26.7 after the latest increase. In Ghana, it costs GH¢680 [$49.48], which is the second-highest.

Meanwhile, DStv for business has been designed to provide a superior viewing experience specifically for commercial clients.



SA/NOQ