3feeds.com
Accra, Ghana — August 5, 2025
Ghana’s government has given the satellite broadcaster DStv a firm deadline to cut its subscription fees by Thursday, August 7, 2025, or face suspension of its broadcasting license, Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George announced today.
The directive was formalized when the Minister instructed the NCA to commence suspension proceedings against MultiChoice Ghana if the company fails to meet regulatory expectations by the deadline. “If by the 7th of August DStv has not complied, their broadcasting license will be suspended,” George stated.
The conflict centers on a government demand for a 30% reduction in subscription fees, citing consumer cost burdens and disproportionate pricing compared with other African markets. In a recent statement, the Minister pointed out that while the Ghanaian cedi had depreciated by more than 200% over eight years, DStv’s justification of exchange-rate losses for high pricing was no longer acceptable.
MultiChoice Ghana has pushed back, calling the demand “not tenable,” warning that such a cut would affect service quality and risk job losses. The company has offered alternative proposals, such as freezing current prices while deferring revenue remittances to its headquarters — a counteroffer the minister dismissed as “illogical.”
Observers say the standoff raises broader regulatory and consumer-protection questions about pay-tv pricing in Ghana and could set a precedent for how foreign‐operated media services are regulated in the region.
As the August 7 deadline looms, all eyes are on whether MultiChoice Ghana will comply or whether the NCA will follow through with the suspension. The potential outcome carries implications for subscriber choice, job security and the wider media‐investment environment in Ghana.
