MultiChoice agrees to reduce DSTV fees, pricing committee established.
MultiChoice agrees to reduce DSTV fees, pricing committee established.
The Minister of Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has said that Multichoice Ghana has finally agreed to reduce DSTV subscription fees.
He says the company has written to the Ministry for further discussions on the reduction plan.
“Multichoice has finally agreed to reduce their prices; now they want us to discuss the level of reduction,” the Minister said during a press conference in Accra on Friday, September 5.
“They realised that Ghanaians fully backed the ministry, the NPP has endorsed it, the NDC has endorsed, Ghanaians are simply saying we won’t pay these exorbitant fees again,” he said when asked a question about the timing of MultiChoice’s decision to reduce the prices which comes just 48 hours to the deadline the government gave to them to comply with the order to reduce the prices.
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Before the press conference, Sam George had issued a September 6 deadline to suspend the license of MultiChoice Ghana should they fail to reduce subscription prices.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Digital Africa Summit in Accra, Sam George stressed that the government is committed to ensuring Ghanaian consumers get fair prices.
“As of now, they have until September 6. If there is no resolution, we will shut down the operations of MultiChoice. No company or corporation is more powerful than the collective interest of the Ghanaian people,” he said.
Already, the ministry has imposed a daily fine of GHC10,000 on MultiChoice for failing to submit critical pricing data. As of Wednesday, September 3, the company owes about GHC150,000 in accumulated penalties.
“On August 7, the NCA, acting on my behalf, issued a 30-day notice to suspend the licence of Multichoice Ghana Limited because they failed to cut their price by 30%. Some 15 days ago, I met with them and imposed a GHC10,000 daily fine on them. So, now they owe us about GHC150,000, which the NCA will collect.
Samuel Nartey George had earlier requested Multichoice Ghana to reduce its DStv subscription fees by 30% owing to the appreciation of the Cedi against the dollar and other trading currencies.
However, in response to the Minister’s request, DStv refused to reduce the subscription prices, explaining that for over 8 years the Cedi has depreciated, hence the request to reduce prices by 30% is not feasible.
Sam George further ordered NCA to suspend the license of Multichoice Ghana by Thursday, August 7, 2025, if the company fails to reduce its pricing packages.
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However, in a statement released on Sunday, August 3, Multichoice and DStv, while responding to the Minister, said it is “not tenable” to reduce DStv subscription fees in the manner proposed by the Minister.
While expressing concern over the Minister’s remarks, MultiChoice noted that it has continually engaged in open and good-faith discussions with the Minister and the National Communications Authority (NCA) to address pricing concerns.
“Regrettably, the Honourable Minister has taken this stance, notwithstanding our ongoing endeavours to engage candidly on this important matter,” the company said.
MultiChoice also revealed it has already submitted a proposal to the Minister and the NCA outlining an alternative path forward.
The NCA then granted a 30-day ultimatum for MultiChoice to make a decision. The matter has not yet been resolved. The latest development is that Sam George intends to shut down the operations of MultiChoice by September 6 if no resolution is reached.
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