South African pay-TV platform MultiChoice is planning to layoff 2,194 staff.
The company, which recently listed on the South African Stock Exchange following its split from Naspers, said the redundancies would be predominantly in customer services.
“This has not been an easy decision to make but, in a business driven by advancing technologies, we must continue to drive efficiencies yet be agile enough to adapt to evolving customer needs,” said MultiChoice Group Chief Executive Calvo Mawela.
“We must act decisively to align to the change in customer behaviour and competition from over-the-top services.”
Like pay-TV platforms in Europe and across the globe, Multichoice is coming under threat from streamers such as Netflix.
Under South Africa’s employment law a 60-day consultation period is required.
Such moves are particularly sensitive in a country where the unemployment rate currently stands at 27%.
