MultiChoice Africa Holdings (MAH) B.V Tuesday announced that it has withdrawn its DStv services from Malawi with immediate effect, bringing to an abrupt end over 30 years of romance between Malawians and the pay television (tv) platform.
The decision follows the ruling by the High Court in Lilongwe Tuesday, when it issued an injunction— in the matter between MultiChoice Malawi (MCM) and the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra)— that effectively prohibits adjustments to DStv tariffs.
The withdrawal of DStv services comes a few days before the start of the 2023 football season in major European leagues such as England, Spain, Italy, Germany and Portugal.
Most Malawians have, for the past three decades, heavily relied on DStv to watch football matches.
In a statement released Tuesday evening, MultiChoice Africa Holdings noted that MCM does not offer the DStv service to the public and that it can, therefore, not set or adjust tariffs for this service, a point it claims to have repeatedly made to Macra.
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“As a result, the order handed down to MCM is incapable of being implemented by them but carries with it grave consequences for the directors and management of MultiChoice Malawi, including imprisonment.
“MAH, given the impact on its supplier (MCM) and an increasingly adverse regulatory environment, is therefore left with no option but to terminate the DStv service indefinitely,” the statement reads.
Following the withdrawal of DStv services, MAH has requested all its DStv customers to halt payment for the DStv service, adding that those who have already paid their new subscription for the DStv service will have those services honoured until the current 30 days viewing cycle ends on or before 10 September 2023.
The firm says it will not accept any new subscriptions or reconnections from today.
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Earlier Tuesday, Macra Director General Daud Suleman said he expected MCM to comply with the court order not to hike DStv tariffs.
The legal battle between MCM and Macra started on July 17 when MCM announced the hike on DStv tariffs.
This did not go down well with Macra, which went to court and obtained an injunction against the hike on July 29.
But MCM also went to court to stay the injunction obtained by Macra.
The two institutions met in court again Tuesday, when the High Court directed that MCM has to comply with the order of injunction which was granted to Macra restraining it from implementing any tariff “changes or modifications” to DStv services.
The directive was made following MCM’s application to the High Court seeking directions on how it would comply with the said order of injunction.
According to Suleman, the High Court sitting in Lilongwe made the directive on Tuesday.
“The public is advised that any person who disobeys the High Court’s order of injunction may be found guilty of contempt of court and [be] liable to imprisonment,” a statement which Suleman has signed reads.
