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Owners of cable TV platforms, DStv and GOtv, Multichoice has announced that it has, alongside police detectives, nabbed an alleged piracy kingpin in Gauteng, a small province in Johannesburg as part of its ongoing antipiracy efforts. 
According to a <a href="https://techcentral.co.za/suspect-arrested-in-dstv-piracy-raid/248670/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">statement</a> by the media company, the arrest follows a successful raid conducted in Gauteng with the support of detectives from the Eldorado Park police station. The suspect, Jurgen Johannes Potgieter, was arrested for selling login credentials and internet streaming pirate devices, which enabled illegal access to premium content.&nbsp; 
“These actions are in direct contravention of sections within the Cybercrime Act. Additionally, the suspect faces charges of money laundering”, the statement said. Potgieter has been detained and will appear in court in Lenasia on Friday. The statement added that his equipment was confiscated by the police during the raid and “will be thoroughly analysed”. 
“This raid highlights our continuous efforts to dismantle illegal operations that undermine the creative industry,” said Frikke Jonker, the director of broadcast cybersecurity and antipiracy at MultiChoice-owned Irdeto, in the statement. 
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 MultiChoice Group CEO Calvo Mawela
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Jonker commended the police on their professionalism, which he said significantly contributed to the raid’s success. “More raids are imminent as we intensify our efforts to combat digital piracy. The professionalism displayed by the Police before and during the raid was exemplary and contributed significantly to the operation’s success,” he said. 
MultiChoice said that it founded&nbsp;<a href="https://www.multichoice.com/partners-against-piracy.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Partners Against Piracy</a>, an Africa-wide, multi-stakeholder initiative to work alongside local governments and prosecutors to actively address the issue of copyright infringement. 
“The initiative aims to strengthen government agencies through collaboration to facilitate information sharing, enforce IP laws more strongly and combat privacy. Among these agencies are the Serious Commercial Crime Unit of the Hawks, the South African Police Service and the cybercrime units in various provinces,” the company said. 
Read also: <a href="https://technext24.com/2024/06/18/multichoice-dstv-gotv-prices-unchanged/">Multichoice Nigeria says DStv, GOtv bouquet prices remain unchanged</a> 
<h4 id="challenging-times-for-multichoice" class="wp-block-heading">Challenging times for multichoice</h4> 
The past year has been challenging for Multichoice. 
MultiChoice reported a 9% decline in its group subscriber base, largely due to a 13% drop in the “rest of Africa” segment (all other countries except South Africa), where customers in countries like Nigeria had to choose essentials over entertainment. 
The South African business, more resilient, saw a 5% decline, with the subscriber base standing at 7.6 million households by the end of March 2024. Severe&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/5/22/load-shedding-water-woes-can-south-africa-fix-its-ailing-infrastructure" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">load shedding</a>&nbsp;during the reporting period further discouraged potential subscribers from signing up. 
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The Premium tier, including DStv Premium and Compact Plus bouquets, declined by 8% in South Africa despite targeted retention efforts. The midmarket Compact base, most exposed to macroeconomic challenges, declined by 9%, while the mass-market tier fell by 2% due to pressures on the Family base, the impact of load shedding, and reduced decoder subsidies. 
A 3% decline in subscription revenues and softer advertising income weighed on the segment’s total revenues, which fell by 2% to R33.6 billion ($1.82 billion). 
Group revenue rose by 3% organically but declined by 5% to R56 billion ($3 billion) due to weaker local currencies and consumer pressure. Subscription revenues climbed by 2% organically but fell by 7% on a reported basis, impacted by the devaluation of the Nigerian naira over the past year. 
The Nigerian market alone saw an 18% decline in active subscribers, causing its revenue contribution to the “rest of Africa” segment to fall from 44% to 35%. 
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But, despite facing severe economic challenges in Nigeria, MultiChoice Group remains committed to its operations in the country. The pay-TV operator reported in its 2024 annual results that the Nigerian branch contributed over R4 billion ($216.9 million) in foreign exchange losses over the past year. 
Nigeria’s high inflation, exceeding 30%, driven by the crashing naira and the removal of fuel subsidies, has put significant pressure on consumer spending. This situation has forced many to prioritise necessities over entertainment. 
“This is short-term pain for long-term gain. Provided they continue with these reforms, it will pay off,” MultiChoice Group CEO Calvo Mawela said.

DStv owner, Multichoice arrests suspected piracy kingpin in South Africa

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