Petition Against DStv Price Hike Dominates Zambian Social Media

Forget sitting in a queue and whining about fuel shortages. Everyone’s vented, defended or avoided the topic of boycotting paying for DStv in Zambia. This already announced price hike will affect even Nigerians and other DStv countries, and people have taken online to vent on Facebook and petition sites. Camps are divided, and the jury is still out.

We managed to catch the Multichoice PR. Before we get to that let’s do a rewind of what all the ruckus is about. DStv announced new pricing (wait I think I saw something similar from my Bank), of not less than 20% for basic bouquets. Add-ons like PVR access and Extra View, will cost you extra too.

The prices for DStv bouquets are set to increase as follows:

Bouquet	Old Price (ZMW)	New Price (ZMW)	Price Change (%)
Premium	521	631	21%
Compact Plus	337	417	24%
Compact	203	248	22%
Family	127	158	24%
Access	64	83	30%

We had  a quick chat with Mwiika Malindima, Public Relations Manager at Multichoice Zambia, who clarified the reasons and justification for the price increase. Basically, this is to cover the rise in costs of doing business, and every year Multichoice implement this change in order to continue providing the already popular Pay TV service and customer service.

What do you have to say about the Facebook and online petition against the price hike? 

“We’re  aware and have been summoned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting where we will meet and table our side of the story. There’s a reason for the price hike, which is happening in all countries by the way, not just Zambia.

Last year, we leniently left the prices as they were even when the Kwacha’s value had depreciated for the sake of our subscribers, but now we had to make a decision based on the current cost of doing business.”

That’s the explanation, in case you missed it. To address their needs to provide the service as efficiently as they can, they had to raise the price bar. We’ll all just have to sit tight and wait for this meeting with the Government to take place, see what comes out of it. If we’re being honest, we’re slightly skeptical there will be a really massive change.

If you’re planning on boycotting payment next month, well, you better start getting used to the other available local channels as soon as possible, or get another type of satellite TV service. So if you can afford to miss Barclays Premiership  matches, La Liga, F1 or the upcoming monster of a boxing match – Mayweather vs Pacquiao, go ahead and join the revolution. However, note that the revolution will be televised while you sleep.

Hit us up in comments, if you want to add or deduct.