….Orders Firm On 1 Month Free Subscription To Subscribers
The Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT) has imposed a N150 million fine on Multichoice for contesting the court’s jurisdiction after it had recently barred the company from increasing the prices of its subscription packages.
In addition, the tribunal headed by Saratu Shafii ordered firm to provide subscribers on its DStv and GOtv platforms with one month of free subscription.
The tribunal slammed the fine and the order on Multichoice Nigeria following an ex-parte motion filed by an Abuja-based lawyer, Festus Onifade, who posited that the 8-day notice given to Pay TV subscribers on the upward review of its prices was inadequate.
However, the company argued that previous rulings had settled price regulation issues.
Meanwhile, Onifade insisted the length of notice was inadequate and more pressing than the price hike itself, prompting the tribunal to affirm its jurisdiction and ruling against Multichoice.
The court fixed July 3 for a hearing of the substantive suit of the plaintiff.
