What Every Nigerian Subscription Business Should Learn From DSTV
GROWTH IQ: How to Grow a Business
Between 2023 and 2025, MultiChoice Nigeria (DSTV) lost 2.7 million subscribers.
In 2023, they had 17.2 million subscribers across Africa.
But by the end of 2025, they had 14.5 million.
And Nigeria, which is their biggest market, accounted for roughly 77% of that loss.
About 1.4 million Nigerians unsubscribed or cancelled their DSTV subscription.
And they didn’t care. They just oved on with their lives.
That should terrify every business with a subscription model.
The Death of DSTV
Now here’s what happened.
Normal normal, Nigeria and inflation na 5 & 6.
So when that 2024 inflation hit 34%, and naira was collapsing while fuel prices was going up, DSTV decided the best thing to do was to increase their subscription prices.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The Premium went from ₦21,000 in early 2023 to over ₦37,000 by mid-2025.
That’s like a 76% increase in two years.
Compact went from ₦10,500 to ₦15,700.
Me that is looking to afford 2 measures of rice in a country where 1 hour of light is becoming a miracle, you look at me and thought, “You know what? Let’s charge them more for TV sub.”
DSTV wey light no even dey to watch.
Another thing to note is that there was no increase in added value as an incentive to keep the normal subscriber.
You’re paying about 76% more for the exact same service you had two years ago. Make it make sense
Personally, I feel that DSTV has that stronghold because of football viewing rights, and that a huge chunk of their subscribers are those guys with football viewing centers.
Did They ‘DO’ Themselves?
For 20 years, DSTV WAS Africa’s television.
If you wanted to watch sports, movies, or international content, you paid DSTV.
There was no alternative.
But that monopoly died like five years ago.
Netflix entered Nigeria.
YouTube became FREE and infinite.
Even Telegram became the unofficial Netflix of Nigeria with free movies, free series, and no subscription.
Before they were banned, we even had NetNaija and the rest feeding us with non-stop high-quality movies.
If I want to stream football, there are 2 million and 3 apps I can download on Play Store without paying a dime - just some 30 seconds unannoying ads I can patiently wait for.
Besides if you’re looking for entertainment, you’ll find it more in reels than on DSTV.
But these guys keep acting like it was 2010.
Ironically, they launched/acquired Showmax (owned by the same parent company, MultiChoice) and made it cheaper and more flexible.
Now, Showmax costs ₦2,900 per month. DSTV Premium costs ₦37,000.
Which one would you choose?
I mean, depending on the plan, you can stream the same football on Showmax. Is that not shooting oneself in the foot?
But as I said earlier, I don’t even need Showmax to stream football
Let’s Talk About Netflix
Here’s the fascinating part: Netflix is not WINNING in Nigeria too.
But it is keeping the people it already has.
And if you’ve followed this series so far, then you’d have read that customer retention is wayyyyy more cheaper than customer acquisition.
DSTV is failing terrible at customer retention.
One fact stays clear: retention is more important than scale.
The success of your subscription model business is to get people TO STAY.
WHAT NEFLIX TEACHES US ABOUT THIS METHOD
I remember watching the BIG 6 SLAM on Neflix late last year (can’t remember the month but it was either October or November).
Netflix took the biggest Tennis stars on the plannet, collaborated with Saudi Arabia, and streamed it exclusively on their platform.
And if you’re crazy about tennis like me, you’d never want to miss a Sinner/Alcaraz final.
The way I ran to stream that match…
Now, this year, I also watched the Alex Hannold’s free solo of Taipei 101. That was mind-blowing to me.
He climbed the building in the image below with ropes.
And that’s the thing.
Every week, there’s something new on Netflix.
A new show.
A new season.
A new something.
You log in, and there’s like always something YOU SPECIFICALLY might want to watch.
Then I go to the movie section of DSTV and I’m seeing RUSH HOUR 1, The MUMMY, TERMINATOR…
Like who still watches those movies? The most annoying part is that they rerun these movies.
Come back tomorrow and you’ll find the same movies playing.
What happened to me just logging in and seeing PEAKY BLINDERS or BRIDGERTON?
If your content library doesn’t change, why would I keep paying?
Another telling difference with Netflix is if you can’t afford Netflix for the month, Cancel it.
When you get back, your profile is still there.
Your preferences are saved, and your “Continue Watching” list hasn’t disappeared.
But if you don’t pay for two months, you’re disconnected.
When you want to come back, you’d have to pay ‘reconnection fee’.
What’s that?
Netflix Nigeria costs ₦3,000 to ₦8,500 per month, depending on the plan.
DSTV Premium costs ₦37,000.
Yes, I can’t stream football on Netflix, but I won’t trust DSTV with my entertainment especially when it comes to movies.
What Every Subscription Business Can Learn From This Disaster
Lesson 1: If you raise prices, you MUST increase value.
You can charge more. But only if you’re giving more.
Every week, there’s something new on Netflix.
The platform evolves constantly, so the experience never feels stale.
DSTV charged roughly 76% more and gave NOTHING new.
Lesson 2: Flexibility is the new loyalty.
This might sound odd, but if you want to succeed, MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO LEAVE.
A lot of people focus on ‘churn rates’ while forgetting that if your retention is top-notch, then you don’t have to worry about a high churn rate.
The “lock customers into 12-month contracts” model is dead. People want the option to leave.
The paradox is, the easier it is to leave, the more likely people are to stay.
In March, I was looking for an A.I model that could write long form YouTube Script, and I stumbled upon this A.I (won’t mention their name), that required me to pay 6 months upfront.
My brain immediately shifted to ‘look for alternatives.’
There’s no way I could trust those guys. What do you mean I can’t run a 7 days or 1 month trial?
As I said earlier, if your content is that good, you don’t have to worry about people leaving.
Those who value your services will always stay.
Netflix can be cancelled in less than 30 seconds, and yet, people keep subscribing.
Lesson 3: Content must evolve faster than the competition.
If your service looked the same two years ago as it does today, you’re walking in the shadow of death.
DSTV’s content library in 2026 is almost identical to 2020 while Netflix’s library gets updated every month.
I mean, people don’t pay for access anymore.
They pay for discovery, adventure, novelty, and thrill.
Lesson 4: Treat cancellation as FEEDBACK, not betrayal.
When 1.4 million Nigerians cancel, the response shouldn’t be “how do we make it harder to cancel?”
The response should have been “why are they leaving, and how do we fix it?”
DSTV responded by cutting decoder prices by 50% (from ₦20,000 to ₦10,000) in June 2025.
I’m not cancelling because the prices of decoder have gone up for goodness's sake!
It’s shocking how they’re missing this.
And in a market where people are under serious economic pressure, asking the right question and solving it rapidly matters.
It could prove to be the difference between gaining, retaining, or losing lots of customers.
Com toda a humildade,
Precious Christopher
Marketing Psychology Analyst
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