MultiChoice Africa Holdings (MAH) B.V Tuesday announced that it has withdrawn its DStv services from Malawi with immediate effect, bringing to an abrupt end over 30 years of romance between Malawians and the pay television (tv) platform.

The decision follows the ruling by the High Court in Lilongwe Tuesday, when it issued an injunction— in the matter between MultiChoice Malawi (MCM) and the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra)— that effectively prohibits adjustments to DStv tariffs.

The withdrawal of DStv services comes a few days before the start of the 2023 football season in major European leagues such as England, Spain, Italy, Germany and Portugal.

Most Malawians have, for the past three decades, heavily relied on DStv to watch football match.
In a statement released Tuesday evening, MultiChoice Africa Holdings noted that MCM does not offer the DStv service to the public and that it can, therefore, not set or adjust tariffs for this service, a point it claims to have repeatedly made to Macra.

“As a result, the order handed down to MCM is incapable of being implemented by them but carries with it grave consequences for the directors and management of MultiChoice Malawi, including imprisonment.

“MAH, given the impact on its supplier (MCM) and an increasingly adverse regulatory environment, is therefore left with no option but to terminate the DStv service indefinitely,” the statement reads.

Following the withdrawal of DStv services, MAH has requested all its DStv customers to halt payment for the DStv service, adding that those who have already paid their new subscription for the DStv service will have those services honoured until the current 30 days viewing cycle ends on or before 10 September 2023.

The firm says it will not accept any new subscriptions or reconnections from today
Earlier Tuesday, Macra Director General Daud Suleman said he expected MCM to comply with the court order not to hike DStv tariffs.

The legal battle between MCM and Macra started on July 17 when MCM announced the hike on DStv tariffs.

This did not go down well with Macra, which went to court and obtained an injunction against the hike on July 29.
But MCM also went to court to stay the injunction obtained by Macra.

The two institutions met in court again Tuesday, when the High Court directed that MCM has to comply with the order of injunction which was granted to Macra restraining it from implementing any tariff “changes or modifications” to DStv services.

The directive was made following MCM’s application to the High Court seeking directions on how it would comply with the said order of injunction.

According to Suleman, the High Court sitting in Lilongwe made the directive on Tuesday.

“The public is advised that any person who disobeys the High Court’s order of injunction may be found guilty of contempt of court and [be] liable to imprisonment,” a statement which Suleman has signed reads.

Source https://times.mw/dstv-closes-shop-in-malawi/

That is the only move left for DSTV.
You cannot force a private company to sell its services at your preferred price.
If the price is not favorable, then the company will pack up.

Both here in Nigeria DSTV frustrated our own HITV out of the market . What a country.

If na Nigeria double hiking

Nigeria should be next

USELESS DSTV
they called me yesterday offering some stupid offer little do they know guy man don port enter Netflix and other downloading site can even remember when I do sub last with der old films

The court do not have the right to dictate to multichoice. The Malawian court and tye government should create their own pay tv and give it out for free.

DSTV moving out of Malawi due to unhealthy business orchestrated by court ruling stopping them from increasing price to reflect economic reality, they are not banned 🚫

Lol is DSTV a charity organizations....


The economy's balance everywhere I will prefer they make a judgement on Pay per watch If they don't have that In Malawi that's still better than telling them to keep charging the same fee...

He should pack up no be by force make DStv go bid money he no get for premiership only to share it for it subscribes to bear the cost

ivolt:
That is the only move left for DSTV.
You cannot force a private company to sell its services at your preferred price.
If the price is not favorable, then the company will pack up.

Everybody is condemning Malawi court but will be quick to tell our lawmakers to stop DStv increasement.
Confused mofos.

youngsahito:
Everybody is condemning Malawi court but will be quick to tell our lawmakers to stop DStv increasement.
Confused mofos.

That's how hypocritic an average Nigerian is.

If only it was done in Nigeria, u will see online economists who can't do anything substantial with lives quoting all economic benefits because their càndidàte is not the president.

urbobo20:
Both here in Nigeria DSTV frustrated our own HITV out of the market . What a country.

If it was done in the opposite direction, u will be among those to blame the government.
What a country.

Ikaeniyan0:
The court do not have the right to dictate to multichoice. The Malawian court and tye government should create their own pay tv and give it out for free.

You think it's Nigeria where all of u blab about things u don't know?
A country don't have rights over it's own territory.
Take a business to Malawi and tell them that.

It's a private business out to make profit. You can't dictate how much they charge for their service but you can decide how they can run it to favour your people. Like here in Nigeria we expect NBC to enforce pay per view, why should I be paying for what I don't watch?! But NBC cannot force DSTV to charge a particular amount.

Ikaeniyan0:
The court do not have the right to dictate to multichoice. The Malawian court and tye government should create their own pay tv and give it out for free.

The government don't have right on DSTV but the operate in the Country, when hoodlums steal or destroy their property they will have to call government agencies like police to recover their properties from those that stole it. If DSTV can't obey the government they have to leave

Dafresh:
The government don't have right on DSTV but the operate in the Country, when hoodlums steal or destroy their property they will have to call government agencies like police to recover their properties from those that stole it. If DSTV can't obey the government they have to leave

We dey talk A, you dey talk B

Is it compulsory you quote me? There's no corrolation between my comment and yours

JagabanB:

You think it's Nigeria where all of u blab about things u don't know?
A country don't have rights over it's own territory.
Take a business to Malawi and tell them that.

Dumb comment

EcoNews:
He should pack up no be by force make DStv go bid money he no get for premiership only to share it for it subscribes to bear the cost

Were you forced to buy DSTV?
Why didn't didn't see Startimes or TSTV which are much cheaper to buy?

Ikaeniyan0:
Dumb comment

Everything sounds dumb to a dumb mind.

JagabanB:

Everything sounds dumb to a dumb mind.

Please go to hell, I'm not on Nairaland for dumb people like you.

Ikaeniyan0:
Please go to hell, I'm not on Nairaland for dumb people like you.

That's what dumb people usually say.
When u are dumb, u think others are dumb.

Star Times is still surviving in Nigeria because it is partially owned by NTA if not DSTV/GOTV would have sent it packing.
The increase in tariff should also be looked at in Nigeria

JagabanB:

That's what dumb people usually say.
When u are dumb, u think others are dumb.

Okay dumbo

Ikaeniyan0:
We dey talk A, you dey talk B

Is it compulsory you quote me? There's no corrolation between my comment and yours

I'm here to correct senseless post

Ikaeniyan0:
The court do not have the right to dictate to multichoice. The Malawian court and tye government should create their own pay tv and give it out for free.

They will go ahead and create alternatives. It's business opportunity for those in the country.

Ikaeniyan0:
We dey talk A, you dey talk B

Is it compulsory you quote me? There's no corrolation between my comment and yours

He is right, abeg!

yommen:


He is right, abeg!

Yea, people like you who does not know what it takes to run a business will support his dumb opinion. If you will ever get rich and create a business, you can be charging far under the market price for your service.

Ikaeniyan0:
Okay dumbo

A statement from dumb minds.

This is just another rubbish.

TV is not even a necessity. The customers have many platforms to choose. DSTV didn't force them to subscribe.


I don't even intend to buy DSTV. I prefer to use Startimes. Let users go for what they want.

yommen:


They will go ahead and create alternatives. It's business opportunity for those in the country.

You guys are funny.

Why not create the opportunities first and offer cheaper subscription prices?

You guys think say Cable TV na pure water business.