Multichoice Nigeria had been fined N150 million by the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT) for contesting the court’s jurisdiction.
In a decision on Friday, the tribunal mandated that the business give Nigerians free one-month memberships to DStv and GOtv.
Multichoice Nigeria revealed on April 24 that the price of subscriptions for its DStv and GOtv packages will be going up.
On the other hand, Multi-Choice was supposed to start raising its tariffs and prices for goods and services on May 1; however, on April 29, the tribunal prevented this from happening.
In its ruling on Friday, a three-man panel, led by Thomas Okosu, cited section 39(2) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) Act that states that the “tribunal shall have jurisdiction throughout the federation and on all commercial activities aimed at making a profit”.
“The jurisdiction of this tribunal extends to all business activities within Nigeria,” Okosu ruled.