MultiChoice announce continent-wide restructuring of DStv subscription

MultiChoice Nigeria has announced new DStv and GOtv subscription packages, promising subscribers more content, greater flexibility, and better value for money from 5 November 2026.

The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Kemi Omotosho, announced the changes at a media briefing at its Victoria Island headquarters in Lagos on Tuesday.

The new DStv packages are Starter, Select, Sports and Premium, while GOtv subscribers will have Easy, Starter, Select and Sports options.

The revamp, introduced under the DStv Expect More campaign, is part of the company’s strategy to simplify its offerings, improve customer experience and respond to changing viewing habits.

Under the new DStv structure, Starter costs ₦6,000 monthly, Select ₦11,000, Sports ₦21,000 and Premium ₦44,500.

Ms Omotosho said the company had recognised the need to rethink its business strategy after a period without significant product launches.

“The fact on the table is we haven’t launched new products in a long time,” she said. “What we’re here to tell you is that we’re overhauling the entire strategy of the business.”

She identified simplicity, better value for money and customer choice as the central principles guiding the changes.

“We’re solving for simplicity. We think we have too many packs today. We’re solving for better value for money for our customers, and we’re giving our customers choice,” she said.

According to her, the new structure allows subscribers to start with an entry-level package and upgrade as their entertainment needs change.

“We’re giving you more choice: four simple packs from entry pack to the very best of sports and premium. More flexibility: you can choose which pack you want, right? And the higher you go, the more content you get,” she added.

Existing subscribers to be migrated automatically

Ms Omotosho said existing subscribers with active subscriptions would automatically move to the corresponding packages from 5 November, at no additional cost for the transition.

Under the new arrangement, DStv Access subscribers will move to Starter, Family subscribers to Select, Compact subscribers to Sports, and Compact Plus subscribers to Premium.

She said the migration was designed to ensure that customers received at least the content available on their previous packages, with some gaining access to additional offerings.

Subscribers who had paid for several months in advance would keep the package they purchased for the remainder of the subscription period.

“What we will say is that you will not get less than what you paid for. So, at the minimum, you get what you paid for,” Ms Omotosho said.

She added that the company was considering whether it could offer additional content to customers who had prepaid, although no final decision had been taken.

The CEO said the new approach reflected a stronger focus on customer satisfaction and retention, which she described as essential to the company’s long-term sustainability.

“We want to start by putting the customers at the heart of our business. We’ve done that in the past, but maybe not enough. And now we’re going even deeper on that,” she said.

New sports and entertainment offerings

MultiChoice Nigeria Senior Vice President of Communications, Tope Oshunkeye, said the revamped packages would feature new and refreshed channels covering football, films, local productions and international entertainment.

The new SuperSport KICKOFF channel will offer selected football fixtures, including the Premier League Match of the Week and selected UEFA Champions League matches, making some live football available at lower subscription tiers.

The Sports package, priced at ₦21,000 monthly, will include all Premier League and UEFA Champions League matches, alongside other sports content and the general entertainment available on Select.

Mr Oshunkeye said the package was designed for football fans who wanted broader access to major competitions without subscribing to Premium.

The Premium package will offer a wider selection of sports, including Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis and golf, alongside international entertainment.

On the entertainment side, M-Net Movies+ will combine the offerings of the previous M-Net Movies 1 and M-Net Movies 2 channels. M-Net Stars will feature Hollywood films and familiar screen personalities.

Africa Magic Family has also been rebranded as Africa Magic+, with a wider mix of African stories, local productions, children’s content and other entertainment.

Mr Oshunkeye said the changes were meant to make the packages more attractive to different viewer categories.

“It’s all about value, and that’s exactly what this new era is about, with reintroducing Expect More, Expect More. That’s the new value that comes with it,” he said.

Subscribers will also be able to access DStv through satellite television or compatible devices, reflecting the company’s push towards more flexible viewing options.

MultiChoice considers new streaming platform

Responding to questions about the future of Showmax following its shutdown, Ms Omotosho said MultiChoice was assessing the technology needed to introduce a replacement streaming service.

She said the company did not want to leave the streaming market without a dedicated product but was unwilling to launch a service that offered an inferior experience.

“We cannot leave that space empty. We need to put a product there, but it has to be the right product with a good customer experience that is better than Showmax,” she said.

According to her, the company is auditing available technologies to determine the most suitable platform, with features such as box sets and personalised recommendations among the experiences viewers expect.

She, however, declined to give a launch timeline.

“I don’t just want to say it’s coming soon, say we’re launching in two months, or next month, or next week. Allow us to do that audit, to choose what is the best technology for us to use, and then we’ll come back to the product,” she said.

Omotosho said some Showmax content had been moved to DStv Stream, but noted that the two platforms operated differently, limiting the content that could be transferred directly.

She also acknowledged calls for a pay-as-you-watch subscription model, which would let customers pay for television based on their actual viewing time rather than purchasing monthly packages.

She said the company had considered the proposal but explained that its implementation would involve significant commercial and technological challenges.

“It’s something that we know that customers have asked for. We have put it on the runway, but there’s a lot we need to do,” she said.

Ms Omotosho declined to promise an immediate introduction of the model, saying the company needed to determine whether it could operate sustainably.

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Content sharing across markets

Ms Omotosho said MultiChoice would leverage its integration into the global Canal+ Group to expand the content available to subscribers by exchanging titles across its African and international libraries.

She said the strategy would help the company introduce additional programmes while managing the cost and time required to produce original content.

The company is considering bringing programmes from other African markets to Nigerian audiences while distributing Nigerian productions to viewers elsewhere.

Ms Omotosho cited the distribution of Big Brother Naija in other African countries as an example of the cross-market approach. She also said the company was exploring dubbing some programmes into local languages to make them more accessible.

However, she acknowledged that producing fresh content across multiple markets remained expensive and required a sustainable business model.

“We’re trying to put a stopgap. So we’re leveraging the library that exists within the Canal+ world,” she said.

She added that the company would keep exploring new formats and content offerings while addressing subscriber concerns about repeated programming.

The package revamp comes as MultiChoice seeks to strengthen its position in Nigeria’s pay-TV market amid changing consumer habits and competition from streaming services.

The company said the new offerings mark the first phase of a strategy to improve the customer experience, simplify subscription choices, and encourage subscribers to stay on its platforms.