Multichoice introduces BBC First on DStv after online petition

28/10/201528/10/2015 Sandi

Oh the power of social media and an online petition!

MultiChoice Africa released a statement for its customers in Zambia that they had ‘listened to their requests and have made the decision to bring BBC First to their television screens from 27th October 2015’.

In a press statement Ngoza Kasunga Matakala, Acting General Manager – MultiChoice Zambia said,“Subscriber satisfaction is a high priority for us. When we realised that our valued subscribers were highly disappointed at missing out on their favourite shows which were moved to BBC First during the BBC channel refresh, we went back to the drawing board to re-evaluate our decision on BBC First.”

“We sincerely apologise to all our loyal subscribers for our initial decision to not acquire BBC First. That was an error in judgement on our side. We hope that the addition of this channel will reassure them that we do listen to them and we are still committed to ensuring they receive the best programming variety in the world.”

Joel Churcher, General Manager and Vice President for Africa, BBC Worldwide also commented: “The BBC is known for producing outstanding drama with fans of our shows spanning the globe. I’m delighted that we are able to introduce even more innovative, distinctive British drama to the African market through BBC First, alongside our current channel portfolio, BBC Brit, BBC Lifestyle, CBeebies and BBC World News”.

Prices for DStv bouquets were recently increased by 30%, sparking the outrage from subscribers concerning how they were now about to start paying more money for less content from the satellite TV provider. Multichoice has acknowledged this stating that ‘as a company that values our loyal subscribers, MultiChoice Africa decided to also add this channel to the DStv platform as part of our continuous efforts to provide our viewers with content they want to watch’.

BBC First is available DStv channel 119 as of yesterday, 27th October 2015.

Maybe we need to create more petitions for change in Zambia if they actually achieve their goals, right? We’re ready when you are!