On Friday, the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal fined Multichoice Nigeria, the owners of DSTV and GOTV services, N150 million for disobeying its orders. The tribunal had previously restrained the pay-TV company from increasing its monthly subscription fees pending the resolution of a lawsuit brought against it.
In addition to the fine, the tribunal ordered Multichoice to provide a one-month free subscription to its Nigerian customers for both DSTV and GOTV packages.
The tribunal had earlier directed Multichoice not to raise subscription fees without proper notice. This directive followed a lawsuit filed by Abuja-based lawyer Festus Onifade, who argued that the 8-day notice given for the price increase was insufficient.
Multichoice contended that previous rulings had already addressed price regulation issues. However, Onifade maintained that the inadequate notice period was a more critical issue than the price hike itself, leading the tribunal to assert its jurisdiction and rule against Multichoice.
The court has scheduled the hearing of the substantive suit for July 3.
Details to follow…
