PRESIDENT BUHARI PROMISE TO COMPEL MULTI CHOICE INTO IMPLEMENTING A PAY PER VIEW OPTION IN NIGERIA

Following public outcry over the exploitative charges against Nigerian viewers, President, Muhammadu Buhari has waded into the crisis and is considering compelling a South Africa-based cable service provider, Multichoice to implement pay-per-view options to their subscribers in the country.

Mr Amstrong Idachaba, the Acting Director-General of Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), announced this while briefing members of an Ad Hoc Committee looking into the hike of DSTV tariffs in Nigeria.

According to the acting Director-General, the cable service provider, Multichoice, has been directed by the government to suspend the implementation of its new hiked tariffs on different bouquets on DSTV, in the interim.

On his part, during the hearing, the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, revealed that the Sporting rights monopoly of DSTV, will be broken by the Federal Government.

The Minister added that the broadcasting codes will be amended to prevent MultiChoice from monopolizing its channels and the contents of their broadcast.

Lai Mohammed further disclosed that his office has already signed a code to break the sole right to cable service broadcast in Nigeria, being enjoyed at the moment by MultiChoice Group in the country, saying, “our amendments to the Broadcasting Act, will affect the break in the monopoly of MultiChoice. Amendments to Section 628 of the Broadcasting Act, is in our broad national interest.”

It will be recalled that the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC), had been directed by the House of Representatives to ask MultiChoice to revert its subscription rates and keep the newly introduced rates, effective June 1, 2020, on hold.