Faced with mounting subscriber losses and declining revenues across its traditional pay-TV business, MultiChoice Group has begun piloting weekly subscription options for DStv customers in Uganda — a major shift that could soon be rolled out to key markets like Nigeria.
The test, which quietly launched seven weeks ago, is part of MultiChoice’s strategy to adjust its pricing model to better match the economic realities of its customer base, particularly in markets where inflation and currency depreciation have made monthly subscriptions increasingly unaffordable.
“It is a big change,” said MultiChoice CEO Calvo Mawela in an interview with Sunday Times. “We think when people are struggling, as we have seen, offering them weekly passes will help in the same way cellphone prepaid has changed the mobile industry.”
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Mawela noted that the company expects to evaluate the success of the pilot within three to six months. If it performs well, MultiChoice plans to replicate the model in Nigeria and other major African markets.
Sharp Declines in Nigeria Fuel Urgency
The move comes amid a steep downturn in the company’s core pay-TV performance, especially in Nigeria — one of its most important markets. MultiChoice’s financial report for the year ended March 31, 2025, shows a 9 percent drop in overall revenue to $2.87 billion (ZAR50.8 billion), largely driven by an 11 percent fall in subscription income.
Operating profit fell by 34 percent to $263.50 million (ZAR4.7 billion), while trading profit plunged nearly 50 percent to $228.14 million (ZAR4.1 billion). The pressure has been most severe in its Rest of Africa (RoA) segment, which includes Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, and Angola.
Over the last two years, MultiChoice has lost a staggering 2.8 million active linear subscribers. Between March 2024 and March 2025 alone, the company shed 1.4 million subscribers in Nigeria — representing 77 percent of the 1.8 million it lost across the RoA segment.
“Nigeria saw sizeable customer losses as high inflation adds more pressure on consumers,” the company wrote in its annual report. Inflation in Nigeria reached 23.71 percent in April 2025, severely eroding purchasing power and forcing many households to cut discretionary spending like pay TV.
As a result, MultiChoice Nigeria’s subscription revenue dropped sharply from $355.93 million (ZAR6.3 billion) in the year ending March 2024 to $197.74 million (ZAR3.5 billion) in the latest fiscal year.
In response, MultiChoice is not only trialing weekly subscription options but also exploring new packages that allow users to build their own viewing bundles by selecting preferred channels. This unbundled, low-cost model could help retain customers who can’t afford or are unwilling to pay for large preset bouquets.
These steps form part of a broader pivot to digital services, which appear to be the only bright spot in MultiChoice’s latest earnings. Revenue from DStv Internet jumped 85 percent year-on-year, while KingMakers — the company’s sports betting platform — surged 76 percent (in constant currency). DStv Stream posted a 48 percent increase, and Showmax, the streaming service, saw a 44 percent rise in active paying customers.
“Our strategy is shaped by developments in our industry, such as changes in technology, which are driving shifts in consumer behavior, as well as the impact of a rise in piracy, streaming services, and social media,” Mawela said.
Nigeria, Next in Line for Weekly Passes?
While MultiChoice has not set a specific timeline for expanding the weekly pass system beyond Uganda, Nigeria is high on the list, given the severe customer attrition and pricing resistance the company faces there. Introducing something close to the widely-touted pay-as-you-go model could mirror the transformation that prepaid mobile services brought to African telecoms — a shift that democratized access and boosted penetration.
With streaming platforms, free content online, and economic hardship eroding the appeal of monthly DStv subscriptions, MultiChoice may have little choice but to adapt or risk further contraction in its most lucrative markets.
If the Ugandan test proves successful, Nigerian consumers could soon be paying for DStv the same way they buy mobile data: one week at a time.