The Kemi Omotosho Era: Navigating the Storm to Reclaim MultiChoice Nigeria’s Golden Age By Godwin Anyebe
As the sun sets on John Ugbe’s historic 15-year tenure, the dawn of 2026 brings a new captain to the helm of MultiChoice Nigeria. Kemi Omotosho, a veteran with over two decades of experience in the trenches of African media and telecommunications, steps into the role of Chief Executive Officer at a time that can only be described as a “trial by fire.”
The appointment is not merely a change in personnel; it is a critical pivot for a company that has long defined the Nigerian home entertainment landscape but now finds itself at a crossroads. Omotosho’s desk is already piled high with the residues of a volatile economy and a rapidly shifting consumer culture. To succeed, she must go beyond administrative continuity; she must wield a “magic wand” of radical innovation and deep empathy for the Nigerian consumer.
The most daunting challenge Omotosho inherits is the undeniable exodus of subscribers. For the first time in over a decade, the “once beautiful bright” screens of DStv and GOtv are going dark in many Nigerian households, not due to technical faults, but due to financial exhaustion.
According to a 2025 financial report by MultiChoice Group, the Nigerian subsidiary suffered a staggering 44% drop in subscription revenue, falling to approximately $197.74 million for the fiscal year ending March 2025. Even more sobering is the subscriber count: MultiChoice has lost roughly 1.4 million Nigerian subscribers since 2023. Nigeria alone accounted for 77% of the total subscriber losses across the group’s “Rest of Africa” segment.
This decline is driven by a “perfect storm” of macroeconomic factors:
Hyper-Inflation: With inflation rates peaking above 30% in 2024 and 2025, the Nigerian middle class, the bedrock of pay-TV, has been forced to choose between food on the table and the English Premier League.
Currency Volatility: The persistent depreciation of the Naira has made the cost of acquiring international content (priced in Dollars) prohibitively expensive, forcing frequent and unpopular price hikes.
Alternative “Shadow” Markets: The rise of unregulated IPTV services and Android TV boxes, offering thousands of channels for a fraction of the cost, has cannibalized the lower and middle-tier markets.
Navigating the Storm
To stabilize the ship, Omotosho’s first 100 days must focus on “Value Perception.” The Nigerian customer doesn’t just want entertainment; they want to feel that their hard-earned Naira is respected.
For years, Nigerians have clamored for “Pay-As-You-Go” or more granular billing systems. While MultiChoice has historically resisted this, citing the nature of satellite broadcasting, the new MD must find a middle ground. Introducing “Daily” or “Weekend” passes for specific high-value events, like a Super Sunday football match or a Big Brother finale, could bring back the millions who have disconnected because they cannot commit to a 30-day “all-you-can-eat” buffet they barely have time to consume.
International content is expensive and susceptible to forex shocks. Local content is the antidote. Omotosho’s vision to “champion local storytelling” must move from a corporate slogan to a survival strategy. By investing more in indigenous languages (Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba) and local “telenovelas” that mirror the current Nigerian reality, the company can create a “stickiness” that Hollywood movies cannot replicate.
The future is streaming. With internet penetration growing despite economic woes, Omotosho must accelerate the migration to Showmax. By bundling mobile-only streaming plans with low-cost data from telecom partners, she can capture the Gen Z and Millennial demographic that views a satellite dish as an ancient relic.
What is the “magic wand” that will convince customers to return? It isn’t just a price slash, it’s a reimagined relationship. In November 2024, the company began reducing decoder prices (DStv to ₦7,900 and GOtv to ₦6,500) as a gesture of goodwill.
However, the real magic lies in unbundling. If Omotosho can break the “sports-only-on-Premium” barrier, she will unlock a reservoir of dormant subscribers. A “Sports-Light” package that offers only the top football matches at a price point accessible to the average worker would be the ultimate game-changer.
Furthermore, she must leverage her background in Customer Value Management. This means using data to reward loyalty, not just with promos for new users, but with “inflation-relief” discounts for long-term subscribers who have stuck with the brand through thick and thin.
Kemi Omotosho’s leadership comes at a “pivotal time,” as she rightly noted. Her predecessor, John Ugbe, built the foundation of a dominant empire. Omotosho’s task is to transform that empire into a nimble, digital-first entity that thrives on inclusivity rather than exclusivity.
The Nigerian market is dynamic and resilient. If the new MD can prove that MultiChoice is not just a “collector of subscriptions” but a partner in the Nigerian experience, she will not only stem the tide of losses but lead the company into a new era of “sustainable value.”
Culled from Consumer Assembly platform
