Ugandans are reacting with relief and muted celebration after the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) announced that MultiChoice Uganda Limited and GOtv Uganda Limited have applied for approval to transfer their licenses following a takeover of their parent company, MultiChoice Group Limited, by Groupe Canal+, a French media conglomerate.
If approved, Groupe Canal+, which already owns 45.2% of MultiChoice Group shares, will acquire the remaining 54.8%, giving it full ownership of the pay-TV giant.
This will grant Canal+ indirect control over MultiChoice Uganda and GOtv Uganda, though the local shareholding structures will remain unchanged.
According to UCC, the Commission is required under Section 39(2)(d) of the Uganda Communications Act to examine the public interest before granting approval for the license transfer. The regulator has invited members of the public to submit comments within 14 days of its notice.
For many Ugandans, however, the announcement has been less about regulatory procedure and more about the hope of relief from MultiChoice’s long-criticized service. Subscribers have for years complained that DSTV is both exorbitantly priced and stale in content.
In August this year, MultiChoice hiked subscription fees yet again, with Compact packages going up to shs 120,000, Compact Plus to shs 180,000, and Premium to shs 299,000.
This placed DSTV among the most expensive pay-TV services in Africa, with Ugandan households paying nearly triple what subscribers in other markets are charged across the continent.
Despite the high costs, subscribers lament that the content has been underwhelming recycling outdated material and repeating the same movies and series.
Some viewers mockingly note that DSTV still airs films as old as 1962, a time when Uganda had not yet attained independence.
“The prices are outrageous, and the content is old and repetitive. It’s like paying premium rates for ancient archives,” said a frustrated Kampala resident who recently abandoned her decoder for internet-based streaming.
Indeed, many urban households have turned to affordable home Wi-Fi and streaming services, which offer more variety, fresher content, and better value for money.
The proposed Canal+ takeover is therefore being watched closely, with some subscribers hopeful that the French broadcaster could reset the pay-TV market with fairer pricing and modern content. Others remain skeptical, fearing that Ugandans might continue footing high bills without much improvement in programming.
Either way, MultiChoice’s era in Uganda defined by rising subscription costs, stale movies, and repeated reruns—may finally be drawing to a close.
