Emmanuel TV Removed from Multichoice Platforms Due to Low Viewership

Multichoice has officially removed Emmanuel TV from its platforms, citing persistently low viewership. The decision, finalized on January 17, 2024, follows a warning issued as early as August 2023, indicating that the channel would face discontinuation if viewership figures failed to improve.

Contrary to speculations linking the channel’s removal to the BBC’s recent documentary on the late founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, TB Joshua, a senior member of the church revealed to TheCable that the decision was based on metrics and performance evaluations.

According to the unnamed church official, a letter dated August 7, 2023, was received from Multichoice Nigeria Limited, signed by CEO John Ugbe. The letter highlighted Emmanuel TV’s poor performance since the passing of Pastor Joshua in June 2021. The CEO emphasized that Multichoice invests significant resources in channel distribution, and only those meeting minimum performance standards are retained on their platforms.

Emmanuel TV was given until November 8, 2023, for a performance review, after which Multichoice served notice of the impending discontinuation. A subsequent letter dated December 7, 2023, confirmed that Emmanuel TV had not met the specified improvement targets and would be discontinued effective January 17, 2024.

In response, Emmanuel TV formally requested mutual termination on December 22, 2023, specifying the wording of subscriber notifications as “Emmanuel TV Channel Exit” rather than “Emmanuel TV Channel Termination.”

Multichoice then notified subscribers on December 19, 2023, through an SMS, stating, “Dear DStv Customer, please be advised that Emmanuel TV (DStv channel 390) will no longer be available from January 17, 2024, at 10:59. Please, visit dstv.com to check our latest content line-up.”

It’s worth noting that the BBC Africa Eye documentary, which accused Joshua of serious allegations, was aired on January 8, 2024.