Multichoice Nigeria does not plan to comply with the court order that mandates it to gift one month free subscription to its customers on the DSTV and GOTV platforms.
At least, not yet.
The multinational plans to appeal a recent ruling of the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT) that ordered it to pay a N150m fine and gift one month’s free subscription to its subscribers.
Led by Justice Thomas Okosu, the three-man panel had issued the ruling, Friday in Abuja,
The tribunal also restrained MultiChoice from proceeding with a planned price increase until the Motion on Notice is heard and determined.
However, a statement from Multichoice said, “We disagree with the ruling, and will therefore file an appeal against said ruling.”
The company added that because the matter is currently sub judice, they are limited in what they can publicly say.
The case was brought against MultiChoice Nigeria Ltd, by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) acting for a customer named Onifade.
Onifade accused MultiChoice of increasing subscription fees without giving customers the required one-month notice.
He sought interim orders to stop the pay-TV provider from implementing the price hike.
The tribunal also imposed a fine of N150 million on Multichoice for challenging the jurisdiction of the court and defying its earlier orders restraining the company from increasing subscription rates.
The tribunal’s decision comes in response to Multichoice Nigeria’s unilateral decision in May to hike subscription rates for its DStv and GOtv packages, despite previous orders from the court to refrain from doing so.
This move sparked outrage among subscribers and prompted legal action from consumer protection advocates.
