LAGOS — MultiChoice Nigeria has named Kemi Omotosho as its new Chief Executive Officer, handing the leadership of the country’s most visible pay-TV business to a long-serving Group executive at a time of heightened consumer scrutiny, regulatory pressure and intensifying competition from global streaming platforms.
Omotosho succeeds John Ugbe, who is retiring after nearly 15 years leading the Nigerian operation, MultiChoice said in statements reported by Nigerian media. Her appointment takes effect January 2026, and she becomes the first woman to lead MultiChoice Nigeria.
The transition places Omotosho at the helm of what MultiChoice describes as one of the Group’s largest and most closely watched markets. Industry observers note that MultiChoice Nigeria’s footprint—spanning DStv, GOtv and digital offerings—makes it a focal point for customers, regulators and Nigeria’s creative ecosystem.
Before her elevation, Omotosho served as Regional Director for Southern Africa, overseeing operations across seven countries with full profit-and-loss responsibility, according to profiles published following the appointment. She previously led customer value management across more than 50 African markets for MultiChoice Group and earlier worked at Airtel Nigeria, building a career centered on revenue performance, customer behavior and operational execution.
Her appointment comes as MultiChoice Nigeria navigates a difficult operating environment. The company has faced public backlash over pricing and affordability amid inflation and foreign exchange volatility, while competition authorities have pursued enforcement action. In March 2025, Reuters reported Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) sued MultiChoice Nigeria and Ugbe after the company implemented a DStv/GOtv price hike despite the regulator’s request to maintain prices during a review.
The Nigerian business has also been adapting its commercial strategy, including promotional moves aimed at lowering entry costs for customers, such as a 2025 campaign that cut the DStv HD decoder price and bundled incentives, according to industry reporting.
Ugbe’s tenure is widely credited with deepening MultiChoice’s local footprint, notably through the expansion of GOtv and high-profile local content platforms such as the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA), as well as broader investment in Nigerian content production and distribution.
For Omotosho, the near-term priorities are expected to center on customer retention, cost discipline, digital growth and regulatory management—balancing affordability pressures with the economics of premium content and a rapidly evolving media landscape.
