Africa’s leading entertainment company, MultiChoice Group is considering a weekly subscription model across its markets, including Nigeria, if the pilot phase launched in Uganda becomes successful.
This was disclosed by MultiChoice Group CEO, Calvo Mawela during an interview with South Africa’s Sunday Times, noting that the trial in Uganda began seven weeks ago and could be expanded to other African markets within three to six months, depending on the outcome.
According to Mawela, the pilot is designed to align subscription payments with customers’ cash flow patterns, particularly in markets where users earn income on a daily or weekly basis.
“It’s a big change, and we think when people are struggling, as we have seen, offering them weekly passes will help, in the same way prepaid mobile services changed the telecoms industry,” he said.
Mawela also addressed long-standing customer demands for customizable channel packages. While he ruled out a full à la carte option, he said MultiChoice is exploring a model where users start with a base package and then add specific channels as needed.
However, MultiChoice, which has seen a significant decline in subscribers, especially in Nigeria and South Africa, said it may also unbundle its sports channels into a separate subscription package its retain subscribers.