Susan Abayomi
The Senate has renewed its push for *Pay-As-You-Go billing for DSTV* in Nigeria, arguing that subscribers should not be forced to pay for channels and services they don’t use. The call was raised on May 6, 2026, by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during the screening of power minister nominee Joseph Tegbe.
Akpabio questioned why Nigerian subscribers are locked into fixed monthly subscriptions when the *Pay-As-You-Go model is already operational in countries like South Africa*. He said it was unfair for Nigerians to pay high subscription costs without flexibility, especially given the current economic pressure on households.
The Senate has now directed its *Committee on Telecommunications to invite DSTV for questioning* and report back with findings. Akpabio said the aim is to ensure Nigerian consumers get the same billing options available elsewhere and to stop what he described as an exploitative practice.
This isn’t the first time the issue has come up. The Senate and House of Representatives have made similar demands since at least 2022, urging the Ministry of Communications and the Nigerian Communications Commission to compel pay-TV providers to adopt PAYG. MultiChoice Nigeria, DSTV’s operator, has repeatedly argued that PAYG is different from Pay-Per-View and isn’t technically feasible for its current broadcasting setup. The company says PAYG requires metered billing for actual consumption, which differs from PPV that applies only to special one-off events like live sports.
The renewed push comes amid broader tension over South African-owned companies in Nigeria. Senator Adams Oshiomhole separately called for the revocation of MTN and DSTV licences following renewed xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, though that proposal is distinct from the PAYG billing debate.
For now, the Senate’s immediate focus is on getting DSTV to explain why it hasn’t adopted PAYG in Nigeria, where it controls about 40% of the global DSTV market with nearly 12 million subscribers. Many users complain they pay monthly but miss large portions of content due to travel or power outages, yet still lose access once the subscription expires.
