DSTV, on Monday, again officially said it could not change its subscription model to ‘pay per view’.
This is a demand that could see subscribers pay according to the real time they use the pay TV station’s services rather than the broad monthly charges they pay.
The Managing Director of, owners of the platform, made this known while appearing before the House of Representatives Committee asking questions on its recent tariffs increase and general operations.
According to him, the nature of its transactions with content owners does not permit pay per view.
The MD said, “Telecommunication companies can offer ‘Pay As You Go’; you can stop and start. Unfortunately, that is not the model in broadcast industry.
“You must also accept that we have to buy these services, repackage them and resell, and you cannot be selling differently from where you buy.”
On the increase in tariffs, he explained that it was necessitated by the financial developments.
“It is a tough environment for a lot of reasons. When we did the price adjustment, it was in response to the new Finance Bill (now an Act) and if you look at it, you will see that we were even late in making those changes.
“The adjustment at that time was just as a result of the new Finance Bill. The committee is also aware of the increase in the cost of living, petrol, diesel; these are very basic inputs that go into our service.
“We are part of the broadcasting industry that did not shut down for one day; we had to keep everything running,” he added.
The company further noted that it was not true that it did not give any palliatives during the coronavirus disruptions, noting that it donated a billion naira to the Federal Government.
