[OPINION] DSTV Retaining Monopoly, Quest To Sabotage TSTV, The Unfair Treatment To Nigerians, By Ibrahim Kazaure

- Hacks TSTV transmission network 

As one who witnessed the GSM revolution in Nigeria, I cannot forget what we went through in the hands of the communication giants that started the journey with the per minute billing tariff.

You cannot imagine the joy of Nigerians when we heard that an indigenous company, Glo, had got licence and was ready make things better for us. For the first time, per second billing was deployed by them and that forced the hand of the other telecommunication giants to start the per second billing option.


Glo brought down the prices of sim cards, they brought down the prices of recharge cards and gave Nigerians the alternative. This is not in anyway to undermine the efforts of the Nigerian Communications Commission in the birthing of this competitive environment. Nigerian consumers were the winners at the end of the day.

It is with that same excitement that we have accepted the coming of TSTV. After so many years of paying through our noses to watch cable television, there is hope. We will finally be able to watch channels at interestingly cheaper prices. More money to be saved at the end of the day.

We are also happy that eventually, we get to create more employment for our people and more people will be able to afford cable television. It is a fact that a lot of Nigerians cannot afford to pay for cable television as the costs stand now, so TSTV has come to improve their lot. At least, the 100 naira that lot of young men pay to watch just one match every weekend and during Champions League nights will be reduced. Some of us have to watch many matches as possible and because of the high subscription rates, poor Nigerians have been unduly exploited.


I make bold to say that we have never been more excited about any other thing in a long while. This is why I am saddened by the activities of DSTV in a bid to frustrate the hope and expectations of millions of Nigerians who have been eagerly awaiting the coming of this new brand.

It has come to our notice that DSTV have been making moves to cancel airing contacts and TV rights already acquired by TSTV in a bid to stop them from airing these premium channels. We have been reliably informed that DSTV has offered monies up to 5 million dollars to international cable television networks to terminate business with TSTV and from the last count, more than 15 TV stations have decided to pull out of these agreements. In other words, DSTV is trying to institutionalize monopoly in the sector at the perpetual suffering of the Nigerian people who have been patronising them since 1994.

It has also been revealed that TSTV signals have been hacked and there is a deliberate attempt to ground their signals to make sure that they do not continue to air. This is against the free market economy that Nigeria operates. A free market economy is supposed to be one that guarantees healthy competition and presents the consumer with viable alternatives. It is a type of economy that is supposed to benefit the Nigerian people and all those who live in the country. This is not the kind of reaction that one expects from a company like DSTV.

Monopoly can only give rise to complacency and a lack of innovation. We have seen cases where the network disappears once it rains, where your cable subscription continues to run whether you watch it or not and also one where prices can be jerked up at any time without justifications. As a result, Nigerians have been made to pay more even when they earn less based on the economic hardship.


TSTV has promised to revolutionize TV experience with fantastic offers and most notably, the plan that one can actually turn off the subscription when one leaves home. This is an extraordinary feature especially in a country where electricity supply seems pretty far fetched. This implies that one will not need to subscribe and allow electricity cuts or movements cost the consumer. Finally, we have a cable television plan that suits our peculiar environment and challenges.

This should be worrying times for Nigerians and we will not sit idly and watch while a foreign based Television Network continues to dictate the sector at the expense of the Nigerian people. We cannot continue to pay outrageous amounts of money on television only to continue to empower another country when we have our own indigenous company willing to give us a better viewing experience.

We refuse to embrace monopoly and perpetual exploitation from DSTV, Nigerians deserve better.