Court Orders Multichoice To Pay N150m Fine, Give Nigerians One Month Free Subscription

The Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT), sitting in Abuja, on Friday, June 7, awarded a fine of N150 million against MultiChoice Nigeria Limited for disrespecting its jurisdiction by flouting its order.

A three-man panel led by Thomas Okusu gave the verdict on Friday, June 7.

The tribunal had previously blocked Multichoice from raising subscription fees without proper notice, based on a lawsuit by Barrister Festus Onifade who claimed the eight-day notice given for the price increase was inadequate.

Onifade had sued DSTV, accusing the Pay-TV of unjustly increasing subscription fees without one month’s notice to customers and leveraging on it to seek interim orders.

However, the tribunal, in a unanimous decision by its three-member panel, equally ordered MultiChoice to provide Nigerians with a one-month free subscription on its DSTV and GOTV services.

The tribunal subsequently fixed July 3 to hear the substantive action that was instituted against the company.

THE NATION