Friday, March 29, 2024

Zambians call to boycot Multichoice DSTV in April

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about_multichoiceA public outcry has erupted over digital satellite provider, Multi-Choice Zambia’s decision to hike subscription fees.Numerous people have now taken to social media to complain about what they say are the exaggerated subscription fees with calls being made to boycott DSTV in April.

Zambians on social media complained that the Monopoly of business DSTV enjoys coupled with the continuos repeat of programs aired is not worth the increase at all.They asked why Zambia is the most expensive in terms of subscription for DSTV in the region.

Can someone tell me why we should be paying K710 for DSTV premium starting next month, the most expensive in Southern Africa? If 3, 000 of us don’t pay, these guys will feel the impact.So tell your neighbours to protest by not paying for DSTV next month.The rest of the region doesn’t pay as high as we do. Are we being taken for a ride or something? I for one will not pay if the increase is effected next month. My protest starts now!! Not that I can’t afford but I don’t want to feel abused by your monopoly of business.

We are no longer in the stone age era, we have high speed internet to download any movie we want and at a same time able to get the soccer highlights from the internet.It’s time to pack dstv decorders read some of the comments on social media.

An official petition to standardize subscription rates in Zambia has reached 1000 signatures.The petition read –

Over the years Multichoice Zambia has been charging subscription based on the dollar rates. There is a need to standardise the rates and avoid passing on exchange losses to its customers. In 2014 premium bouquet rates went from K350 to K500, this caused a stir among DSTV subscribers. The company needs to find a way to prepare their books of a accounts in Kwacha and find ways to hedge against foreign exchange losses.There is a need for them to understand the unstable environment and deal with it in a proper manner

DSTV Zambia will effective 15th April adjust subscription fees to Premium K710, Compact plus K495, Compact K330.While in Africa’s most populous nation, Premium will cost the Nigerian subscriber K504, Comp+: K340 and Compact K216. In other economic calculations, watching Premium at K710 is equivalent to buying 9 bags of cement in a month and 108 bags by the end of a year.

120 COMMENTS

  1. Satellite tv in India with more channels than dstv is 300 rupees..which is 3 zmk…believe it or not…..YES three zmk..

    • Guys i am in South Africa and i pay R687.00 from April i will start paying R710,00 that includes insurers on the decoder but one thing is for sure as long as DSTV remains a monopoly in Africa they will abuse us, our kids have grown up watching DSTV and these abusers know that.

    • I support this call, I have always wondered why DSTV in Zambia is pegged to the US$ and not the South African Rand? Lets all join together and show multichoice that power lies with the people!!

    • WAIT We pay £109 for our sky package or K1,110 approximately and that is going rate

      Get jobs people complaining, you biological mistakes

      Thanks
      BB2014

    • Boycotting wont take you anywhere. Multichoice is not forcing anyone to subscribe for quality channels with a gun pointing your heads. If you cant afford the subscription fees, then switch back to ZNBC TV1 or whatever you call it nowadays.

      Its because the Kwacha keeps dropping thats why you think its expensive. In fact, its expensive to do anything in Zambia. I hear there are now fuel shortages in Lusaka.

      Cant the national broadcaster, ZNBC, open more free channels, say 6, for the citizens? While the rest of the world is moving forward, Zambia is retrogressing. Everything seems to be wrong that side. Just change governments to elect real leaders that will reverse all these issues…

    • why do you even watch tv sure mwebantu? If you have to then watch znbc. you are just dumbing yourselves. dont infect our children with the filth and decadence of western society that they learn and emulate by watching such things as multichoice tv. Read them story books about the history of zambia, classical zambian or african folk tales. we are at war with white supremacy and we need to devlop soldiers, children who are equiped with the ammunition to stand strong and proud of africa. This can only be done if all they admire is african. All they see on tv is white, white , white and you wonder later on why they dont speak our language, shun our culture, think our food primitive and why the ultimate dream is to have a white husband,wife etc. tv programs our children!!!

    • The solution is to come up with an alternative. Start your own Satellite service. South Africa must not dominate all aspects of Zambian business

    • Offer a fraction of your DSTV subscription to ZNBC and voila! MultiChoice will be history. Think outside the box friends; it is possible.

    • Multi-Choice is a bunch of crooks and so are all RSA companies operating in Zambia.
      Recently i took my family to RSA in the so called Cape Town which is controlled by Democratic Alliance (led by Helen Zille)and i was surprised to find that all the Chain shops operating in Zambia charge us double. yet these guys are wiring dollars to RSA every night through Stanbic.
      A satellite is a satellite and the boers and kaffirs are watching the same content as us foolish Zambians and yet them are paying half the amount we pay here.
      Spares ribs in RSA cost as little as R 120 and here in Zambia the same grams cost K120 which translates to R240.
      Ba government help us correct this insanity.

    • The same can be said about the mobile phone companies operating in Zambia. Their services are so shoddy yet the rates are so high. Cellphone conversations in Zambia have become so “punctuated and short” such that they don’t make sense any more—the casualty of the so called “TALK TIME”!

      Especially if you are used to how cellphone services work in places like the USA, experiencing Zambian cell services is like travelling back in time to the Flintstones era. Zambians can’t call you on their cellphones and expect them to stay on and finish a conversation. They simply page you and expect you to call them back. Before I used to get irritated by this until I went back home to visit; now I understand what the beast called TALK TIME has done—it is a total reap off!

  2. We in kitwe hav decided to give his execellency edgar lungu all the support he needs and will not tolerate any1 who will insult or undermine the authority of the president.i there4 warn all of u to refrain from issuing statements that are derogatory or insultin to the person occupying the highest office in the land 4 u’ll b met wit a lot of force.boma ni boma

    • That is not the topic here don’t show us your stupidity that is the problem with us Zambians everything is politics stick to the topic

    • Stop posting the same message, chances are that you are not even from Kitwe and you have no right to claim to air the views beyond your dull self

    • stop threating u usles chaps from kitwe. lung is sick and he cant govern.let him come back and step down. he doesn’t know what he is doing

    • The problem is that you not qualified for that job you are holding. you are more sick than the person you purpote to support, febble minded moroon.

    • @Mushota another one of art of exaggeration performances! I think you are paying Egyptian Pounds as I pay GB£55 in London for Sky with unlimited broadband and free UK calls!

    • nonsense everything its politics, economy starts from your home work hard and stay well ,Lungu will never buy you a bag of mealie meal no matter your support

  3. Of course Multichoice are just thieves. Most of their channels keep on showing the same films. Other than for news channels and live sports channels their service is just crap. Take for example Crime Investigation channel that keeps on repeating the same programs over and over.

    • In RSA R710 is equivalent to ZMW447. Can some one at MultiChoice explain why they decide to convert Rands value to Kwacha value without using the conversion factors? I have observed that if it R600 in RSA then they will say ZMW600. What is really happening? ZMW710 is equivalent to R1 126.00. So what is this difference paying for. I am with you guys to boycott paying for DSTV. We need answers please.

  4. We are part of this problem. Zambians will pay anything for anything no matter how mediocre. You pay ZP at road blocks even when you are not supposed to pay. Right now fuel price has been reduced what do you see? Fuel is now being smuggled into the DRC therefore creating a shortage in Zambia. Even Mealie Meal prices reduction will only result into shortages. Mwalibelela ukuchula. I can bet my last ngwee you all pay your DSTV fees come April.

    • I totally agree,Zambians are sheepish. If all of us subscribers worked together and protested those increments by not paying next month,they would reconsider those amounts.Some will want to show off that they have fat pockets,they will continue paying.Ine mayo I will just revert to ZNBC.We should protest.

  5. It’s the high time we showed Multi Choice that we should not be taken for a granted. Where is the petition so I can sign it? ZMK 710 is too much. Why should DSTv subs in Zambia be the most expensive in Africa?

    • Just unsubscribe. You can still live happily even without DSTV. I have never subscribed to that nonsense. My kids have never demnded for it and are doing very well in school. I personally see no need for it. Zambians suffer from a crisis of modernity. When they see their neighbour watches DSTV they do not want to be left behind. When they find it expensive, they cry out the loudest. Why not just unsubscribe and be paying that money for a plot somewhere? Have you always had DSTV? K710 x12 months = K8,520.

  6. THERE IS NO SIGNATURE COLLECTION.DON’T JUST PAY OR THE APRIL SUBSCRIPTION PERIOD.UNITED WE STAND,I BELIEVE MY CHILDREN WILL UNDERSTAND!!

    • Well, go ahead and dont pay. United you stand in not paying and united you will be without cable. Simple mathematics.

  7. It is true multichoice are thieves , honestly ,why should we be paying such amounts of money for the repeated programms? Awe chachilamo ukuchilamo namuchipimo.I will not pay as well.

  8. for me am not going to pay i will be paying from South Africa now its hard time we put our foot down its just to much, let’s show them that we have hard it, its to much,

  9. i am in, I am not paying. In fact, I am going even a step further to “confiscate” my wife’s ATM card, at least for the month of April, lest she goes and pays behind my back!

    • These guys know nothing about organised boycott…we are everyday happy to give our money to th filthy rich boers who wouldn’t even let you drink from tap in their garden.
      One has to look at the shopping malls in Lusaka.

  10. It’s because of the Kwacha’s continued weakening against other major currencies, you voted for Lungu so deal with it, they’ve failed to manage the economy so, as I said, deal with it. And it wont only be DSTV hiking prices, water has gone up, fuel is about to go up…just about everything will soon be going up…deal with it

    • Please don’t mislead people. You know deep down your heart that the causes of the weakening of the Kwacha is not as a result of HE Edgar Lungu’s stay in office for less than 2 months. Please, consult proper and objective economists, they will gladly break it down to you. For starters, what is the price of copper on the world market? How much have you exported as a country, in terms of dollars, in 2014? Note that the dollar is currently doing very well against major currencies like the Euro, Pound, Rand etc, hence these cascaded/knock-off effects we are getting. If you continue on this wanton path of yours, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear you blame HE Edgar Lungu for your lawn being brown in rain season!!!

    • Even so DSTV premium in South Africa is just under $60/-. Why should Zambians be paying close to $100. There interest is only anchored on milking you at the expense of Countries like South Africa and Nigeria.

      To hell with Multichoice Zambia. Let’s all not pays starting April, and look for an alternate player.

  11. Zambians need to wake up and start voting with their feet….merely talking and then rushing home to watch English Premiership after yapping wont help.
    This company has been ripping us of since day one in the 90s when they were charging $25 direct conversion…Zambia is there little cash cow.

    Please Wake up from your docility!!

  12. LED TV’s and analogue transmission just don’t mix. So I’ll just start downloading movies. New movies. Those pranksters can shove those hefty prices of theirs up a certain part of their body cuz am really vexed. I can pay for rentals in certain parts of LSK with those charges. Nangu ni luxurious life ninshi ya dulisha.

  13. I stopped paying last month, increase or no increase DSTV is expensive. We need to stand united and give them a RED CARD.
    RED CARD to HIKE

  14. Multichoice has thrived because they found culpability in your own society. Zambians are well known to charging undecillion percentage profit on anything that they sell to one another. Isn’t it small wonder that most lucrative earnings by business is in that country? While I support your initiative against Multichoice, look at the other things around you: plots (in most neighboring countries cost of your plot can have both a plot and a house built!). WAKEY- WAKEY ZAMBIANS!

    • Your views remind me of some information i came across recently that Manda Hill mall is the best performing mall in southern africa in terms of turnover.

    • When you talk of the cost of plots if you recall before the Boers came into the real estate business in Zambia plots were affordable.Today a 2 acre plot in new Kasama can go up to a million.Let us just systimatically get rid these Boers.

  15. Kikikikiki….Zambians…why are we even raising alarm on a not so much needed aspect in one’s livelihood? Why can’t we do the same with fuel,power,water,private school fees,food & all basic necessities….? Lol. & then what happens when they maintain their stance? Kikikiki,you will even be the first ones to oblige and painfully walk yourselves to que for the same harsh payments… Kikikiki..I wish I was in another country…

  16. In Zimbabwe, premium plus compact is USD70 which is ZMK490
    problem is commission that Multi Choice Zambia and ZICTA fools get behind us. In-fact Zambian pay the highest not only in Africa but in the world.
    This petition is in-fact long over due

  17. This is a liberalized economy. If you cannot afford DST TV why not try Go TV, Muvi or ZNBC. Mind you GO TV is just K30.

    • Tasila you have hit the nail on the head! People are behaving as though they have guns to their heads in order to watch Dstv! If you simply cannot afford something, stop straining your neck to do so. Besides, there are other more important things to whinge about like the price of mealie-meal and basic commodities. Eish!

  18. I can only sympathy with you fellow Zambians. I have just made a casual comparison with what I pay for my digital services here in the UK. I pay for my digital tv, landline phone and broad band internet (one package) equivalent to K480, that is £48. To pay K710 or £71 a the tv package only seems excessive.
    Good luck with the boycott. Remember as consumers you hold the power!!

    • @ Yeah why should i complain about mealie meal when i have “diversified” my eating habits. Those who feel the pinch are the ones who complain. This is my right to complain about DSTV exploitation just like the guy who feels mealie meal prices are too high should complain.

  19. We have to learn how to save money for our health than spending on TV, that K710.00 it’s a lot . Let our GRZ improve our nation television.

    • Don’t just pay- all of us just boycott. We had GTv which was undermined by Multichoice in collusion with the a Zambian minister of Information. This time the government must stand by us.

    • Let us not pay. Those who have money to waste should go ahead. These are the same people condemning politicians on the poorly performing Kwacha and yet Multichoice externalise this money.

  20. This is ridiculous. I stopped paying it a long time ago and they even called me to ask why I stopped subscribing as if balewamya. The *****s have hiked the fee about 3 times in just 1 year. Let’s all stay committed to the boycott. I’m in.

    • Ba Bwalya, how can you say you are in, when you “stopped paying it a long time ago and they even called [you] to ask why [you] stopped subscribing?” Tell me, did they manage to sweet talk you into subscribing?

  21. Fellow zambians, you are being ripped off, K710 just for tv is too much.I pay £48 for sky here in the uk which gives me many channels, phone, broadband with wifi.Ask multichoice to upgrade their package to cover things like phone broadband with wifi.the problem is that people will not unit on this one.others will pay while others will boycott.With time you will all start to pay again.

  22. Let them increase and please my fellow subscribers do not pay and let them pack if they want. They should not exploit us. Let the government look at bringing in other companies to provide the service

  23. We should not only refuse to pay, but we should also petition these guys. I can assure you that people with so called fat wallets will still pay.

  24. i think this is worth protesting for.tired of the same old movies and doccies. need some serious changes in their programming.we r not in the paying history.archives are good for other things and not for entertainment.i see no reason for paying for some movie or doccie i have seen before.kindly change for he better otherwise we will have to leave and only come back if u have something new for us.guys i think it will be better if there is an electronic petition available on-line in order to pressure these guys to rescind their decision.on the boycott i’m in

  25. I agree with most of you complaining about DSTV. But how do we get organized and stand as one in boycotting dstv? There is no clear channel to follow.

  26. It is true they are taking advantage of the monopoly even here in Malawi but wait a minute, Zuku the East African pay TV will soon give them a very big challenge. In any case why can’t we ‘look East’ instead of the traditional South.

  27. I have one FHD decoder and one dual view decoder and we are able to watch three different channels at the same time. I have been paying for this package through a friend of mine in SA. The total payment was R736.00 equivalent to K464.00. When the Kwacha was at 0.53 to R1.00 I was only paying K 391.00. Makes good sense to pay from SA. The only problem is your decoder has to be registered with Multi Choice SA.

  28. This hiking is very barbaric and unfair. Let them keep this services in a fixed local currency like the way our mobile phone operators charge. DSTV service is much similar to cellphone operations. As if, this is not enough punishment to innocent subscribers, our cable TV is switched off on the exact due date and first thing, early morning even before the expiry of the 30 day month cycle. Assuming you pay on 13th March 2015 at 19:00 hrs, why do you get switched off on 12th April 2015 at 07:00am and not wait until 7:00pm? Please ZICTA, look into this matter seriously, no more conversion according to Dollar/Kwacha prevailing ruling rates of the day for Multichoice.

  29. Just go and pay mulifipuba saana…every country knows that a Zambian is the most sheepish, if not the most medicre on the planet…You apes!!!

    • You should be an Ape also then. How come you have found yourself on this blog? Its for Zambians. Let Zambians discuss their issues, this does not include the people from the moon.

    • Elo mulayumfwa-nokuynfwa ati, fwebena Zambia twalipa good saana…ataaah!!!!!!!!!!!!thats why even any white azz, who is is clearly a criminal ati, yesi boss…mulapapisha saaaana!!!!…you are just a collection of apes with no Zambian dream, no future…chapwa….if you cant pay, go and watch Kambwili and PF’s most abused and the most unprofessional TV station on the planet-ZNBC….ala ZNBC namafi wabako bwino….and you get people who even smile ati, I work for ZNBC….Senseless and DEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • @ TABS….continue to discuss, I am just giving the piece of my mind…you aint going anywhere….the same id!ots right here saying boycott, boycott, they will be the azzholes to pay….copy that…That is your Zambian way of doing things

  30. if we all stand together DSTV will have no option but to pack and go i am in i will explain to my kids whats important DSTV or school. Pls support your father i cant afford this.

  31. ok these guys are playing… K710 I can unlimited internet access, whichi can give me access to all the latest movies that I want to see not the ones they want to show… I can also stream live football games… Good luck DSTV.

  32. Monopoly….am in.If 1000 subscribers withdraw,Multichoice will lose over K710,000.We should also fight for more service providers in that field to provide competition….

    • @ Mwebe…..A Zambian deserves both what he goes through, and what he gets….mindset yalilubana….Your ZICTA is corrupt, just like any other Zambian Government Department, Passports, Labour, Courts, name it…..

      Final Thought:

      Zambians are inferior to any other human being….that’s why a Zambian would rather assist a foreigner at the expense of his fellow Zambian….

  33. I will not pay in april , I will be watching ZNBC and start buying movies since DSTV repeat them every day I can afford to have my own library. Let us boycott guys. The law says no one should charge based on a dollar.

    Peace and Prosperity to Mother Zambia.

  34. As zambians we are always taken for granted by foreigner because we pretend to be very good,why should there be such an exorbitant increment on DSTV subscriptions and we are there watching,i will simply revive ny free t air decoder and life will continue.To hell with multi-choice….

  35. Man of the people Hon Kambwili can you tell us the position of the goverment in this issue.Zambia will be paying twice as compaired to Botswana.We know it is a liberalised economy but thats not the way to do things.I think these guys are using zambia to subsidise for other nations.If not that Multichoice should have a news channel in zambia,they need to televise all football matches in zambia etc.Failure to that i support the boycott

  36. The Government should stand by the citizens. Paying a monthly subscription of K710 for DSTV is unacceptable. Multi-choice has monopolized DSTV and has exploited the Zambians for too long a time. Ultimately the matter here is not even about the hike, but the monopoly. Government should show leadership and come to the rescue of the ordinary citizens by urgently requesting and allowing more DSTV service providers to come and establish their businesses in Zambia. Please show that you are a listening Government. Extend the same also to many other sectors. Time to act is now!

  37. Ichimpwena pa Z tuleke bana. This is the same way we should protest against the high tariffs by Airtel and MTN

  38. Where is the consumer protection fimo fimo?Kambwili has been informed & the Goverment of ECL which you voted for is pro-poor.we will tell multichoice to not only rescind this hike but to reduce!!!!

  39. Abash exploitation by multichoice. K710 + 560 Extra view charge =K766. That is almost half my son’s school fees. i am not paying for DSTV this April. i would rather pay for important things like school fees than enrich unreasonable shareholders in multichoice

  40. These fools are exploiting us,we can’t be paying such hefty amounts for there useless repeated programes. Let’s unite and boot these chaps out of our country…

  41. I wish 2 make a contribution 2 the subject at hand. Is it right for us subscribers 2 mass boycot DSTV due 2 increase in fees? the answer in my opinion is no. Y, becoz multichoice did not drag n 1 to install DSTV, it was a decision made individually whence u r not justified 2 call 4 mass boycott. But if the said boycott is to compel multichoice to improve on their programin, then it is justified.

    Bloggers, the problem here is not multichoice but the ECONOMY. Our ECONOMY is SICK. So firms like multichoice who r sensitive to changes in the Economic variables react by increasin fees. Luk at Kwacha – Dollar rate, it has gone thru the roof. I can bet u that kam April Prices (Inflation) of most guds n services like fuel, will go up. So r we goin to boycott buyin fuel or board a minibus? No.

    • Duckfoot may be you should put your foot in your mouth instead of commenting. All people are saying here is that why should multi choice charge people in South Africa R 736.00 which is equivalent to K465.00 and charge Zambians K710.00 which is equivalent to R1 127.00. Mind you when the Kwacha was trading at K0.53 to R1.00 it meant people in SA were paying the equivalent of K390.00. Is that fair to Zambians really?

  42. There is something called economies of scale. Meaning in Zambia because the population of subscribers is small compared to Nigeria or South Africa, the subscription is a little higher perhaps to carter for overheads/ administration expenses.
    The good part is you have chance to unsubscribe if you cannot afford. Quality costs money.

  43. You are right Zambians are sheepish, how do you allow the apartheid that goes on in Solwezi the white fox live in secluded gated community where you can count few black families .This is happening in Kalumbila as well. Is this what the sons of the soil fought for . You give the size of Rwanda to racists as investors . You need a pass to go in a white man’s area really ? In our on country

  44. boycott may not help….. a peaceful protest will be more well come- this company if they dot want to reverse such a useless hike should be shown the way…. who ever has written this article please continue collecting signatures i would like to aped mine too….. but ready for a protest in all the districts provincial headquarters…. and Lusaka we should not abuse liberalization of the economy… we to peaceful let’s get a police permit for a peaceful protest. please organize for this…

  45. 20% of dstv profits go to znbc. Besides Zambia is generally a high cost country because of uncontrolled expenditure, high taxes, corruption, unjustified high govt salaries, the list goes on and on.

  46. no paying for DSTV in April.indeed we have been taken for a ride ………we are not going to die if we dont watch DSTV………nshakalipile tufileke fye bakafisale capwa…en see who would be the loser

  47. Our mother land. It doesn’t require an ecomist to figure it out, everything is rising it’s all because of the exchange rate the kwacha is going at. We don’t own anything of our own, copper belongs to the investors, fuel comes from another country TV network is from South Africa that’s why they can charge us what they want. It’s time for us zambians to start owning things of our own. We don’t have hospitals for any care very soon when someone gets sick from malaria, they will be getting evacuated to Sunninghill hospital. my foot! Why zambians, this is our country and we should let these finished politicians with no plans destroy our country? I’m a young guy with dreams that one day I will live and enjoy my life in my our country. Please let’s unite and change our thinking. Zambia…

  48. Lets boycott please can someone come out orgnise this boycott. DSTV with all those repeat on movies, on top of that you also pay for BOX OFFICE, day light robbery DSTV

  49. I will not pay, I will use the money to buy door frames for the house I am building. Three door frames at K265 will go a long way. My dstv puzzle is now sorted out. I will equally confiscate my wife card lest she pays behind my back kikikikiki

  50. DSTV is not determining the dollar rate, why do you want to punish them. However, if ignorance is cheaper live with it!

  51. People let’s protest by not paying even for two month if we want things to change . Because the only latest program we watch on ds- thiefs is football but after 90 minutes all programs repeat after repeat.

  52. SO CALLED EDUCATED PEOPLE ALWAYS HAVE REASONS FOR ” AGAINST AND FOR” IWE TWAKULANDAMBA T.B. JOSHUA

  53. Proprietors of DSTV, Mulitichoice Africa, has announced price increases for the subscription for its various bouquets.

    The changes which will take effect from the 1st of April 2015 will no doubt spark reactions from Nigerians especially customers of DSTV
    Bouquets                                Old Fees                                                                                          New Fees INCREASE
    Naira Kwacha Naira Kwacha Kwacha

    1. Premium                              NGN 11,650 427.72 NGN 13,980 513.27 85.54

    2. Compact +                           NGN 7,850 288.21 NGN 9,420 345.85 57.64

    3. Compact                               NGN 5,000 183.57 NGN…

    • I am Tanzanian and I support this move! I always question about dstv rates,they are out of normal living range, ans they have to switch to reality. Otherwise there conversion should be on rand and not dollar

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