Minister of Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovations Samuel George has emphatically stated that MultiChoice Ghana, the operators of DStv, will not succeed with its lobbying attempts to compel him to overturn his decision for a sharp price drop.

According to Mr. George, several intermediaries allegedly linked to DStv have approached members of government to convince him to rescind his decision.

But he remains unwavering, insisting that the government’s ultimate responsibility is to protect the interests of its citizens.

“Look, all the places they are walking around, getting the foreign minister of South Africa to call the Ghanaian foreign minister to call me. It’s not going to work…. Look, making it a foreign affairs issue and saying what? There are South African businesses. The biggest South African business in Ghana is MTN. Has MTN complained about this? When I dealt with MTN, MTN worked with me on everything,” he stated.

He continued, “When I made the case to MTN, I wanted more data for the Ghanaian people. They said, ‘Well, we have a challenge with the network. We want more spectrum. I yielded. I went to the cabinet and got cabinet approval and gave them more spectrum.”

Honourable Sam George further advised Ghanaian business.

“So, you work with your regulator in the interest of your customers and in the interest of your business. You don’t place your business interest as the only interest you have and ignore completely the consumer interest.”

Beyond pricing, Mr. George highlighted critical operational failures, chief among them being cross-border piracy.

He claimed that a staggering “40 to 45% of DStv devices in Ghana today are all devices from Nigeria”, a situation he says MultiChoice has failed to tackle.

This influx of Nigerian-registered devices, he argued, allows MultiChoice to collect revenue while the Ghanaian state loses out on tax, and it artificially suppresses Ghana’s official subscriber numbers, which the company then uses to justify its high prices.

“When you say you have a low subscription in Ghana, it’s because your prices are not uniform and have led to cross-border piracy on your platform,” he charged.

The minister cited regional precedents where regulators took a hard line, forcing MultiChoice to adjust its practices.

“In Malawi, in 2023, they just shut them down. MultiChoice went to court, lost the case, and four months later came back, offered one week free, and dropped the prices. In Liberia they slashed the premium package by $30. In Nigeria in 2024, the Nigerian House of Reps passed an instruction prohibiting the increases,” he detailed.

The National Communications Authority (NCA) has served Multichoice Ghana Limited with a notice of its intention to suspend the company's Subscription Management Service for a Satellite Television Broadcasting (Pay TV Direct-to-Home Bouquet) Authorisation pursuant to Section 13 of the Electronic Communications Act, 2008 (Act 775).

In a statement issued on August 7, the NCA noted that "Multichoice Ghana has thirty (30) days within which the company may present its views, or provide remedial action, and submit a written statement of its objections to the suspension of the authorisation."

This comes after Minister for Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovation Sam Nartey George’s DStv license suspension directive to the National Communications Authority (NCA) today, August 7, should Multichoice fail to reduce the prices of its subscription services by 30 percent.

The two parties have refused to budge with respect to a price reduction or a stakeholder meeting to come to a common ground.

Engaging the public last week as part of the Government Accountability Series, the minister noted that he received a 9-page document from Multichoice on July 21 over its inability to reduce its subscription fees. The company cited depreciation of the cedi in past years, despite the recent cedi appreciation, as the reason for its inability to reduce prices.

Sam George noted that it is unacceptable for Nigerians to be paying less for the same packages offered Ghanaians at higher costs when the naira has depreciated at an accelerating rate against the cedi. As such, he has directed the National Communications Authority (NCA) to suspend the broadcast of DStv in about a week from now should Multichoice fail to reduce prices of its packages.

"Their reasons included that the cedi had depreciated in the preceding eight years by 240%, and they claimed that my request for a reduction on the basis of the appreciation of the cedi was unfounded because, in their words, the appreciation of the Ghana cedi over the last 6 months has been a fluke which could not be sustainable. As Minister, my fidelity is to the Ghanaian people. I have to act in the interest of the Ghanaian people, and I believe the Ghanaian people have been fleeced and exploited for too long. I wrote back to the NCA on Monday and directed the NCA in that letter to suspend the broadcasting license of dstv effective 7th of August 2025 if they fail to effect a reduction in their bundle prices,” he said.

“I can’t as minister serving the Ghanaian people, continue to watch what can be best described as plain stealing happening to the Ghanaian people. In my letter to them, I gave them scenarios from seven markets that dstv is operating in. The same content in the premium bouquet that is offered to Ghanaians for the $83 equivalent is offered to Nigerians for the $29 equivalent. How can anyone explain this price disparity to me? Enough of the mistreatment of the Ghanaian consumer. In Nigeria, in the same timeframe, they say the Ghanaian cedi has depreciated by 240%, the Nigerian naira has depreciated by 409%. If Nigerians are paying the equivalent of $29, dstv must charge the same here in Ghana," he added.

As per a statement signed by MultiChoice Ghana Managing Director , Mr. Alex Okyere on August 3, the company emphasized that the Minister's proposal to drastically review its prices is not workable. According to the company, it acknowledges the positive impact of the local currency, the cedi, against foreign currencies, specifically the U.S. dollar. However, a significant decrease in prices cannot be attained by the company.

“While we appreciate the recent appreciation of the cedi— which we have never referred to as a ‘fluke’— it is not tenable to reduce the DStv subscription fees in the manner proposed by the Minister,” the statement read.

In a rebuttal, Mr Nartey George noted that Ghanaian consumers are being taken for granted compared to Nigerian consumers. According to him, bouquet prices were reversed after the Nigerian authorities sued the company and ordered a suspension of an increase in price.

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has requested the appearance of the Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, along with representatives of MultiChoice Ghana, to address concerns over the recent reduction in package prices.

A statement signed by the Member of Parliament for Kpandai, Matthew Nyindam, on behalf of the Minority, on Sunday, August 3, indicated that the invitation has become crucial in order to strike a better deal between the two parties.

The Minority has also emphasized that "We agree that subscription fees must be set fairly and reflect the realities of Ghana’s economy. We fully support the advocacy initiated by patriotic citizens, which has now attracted the attention of the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation. We agree that subscription fees must be set fairly and reflect the realities of Ghana’s economy.”

Presently, Parliamentary sittings have come to a halt after the House proceeded on recess. The House is expected to reconvene in October. On July 4, Samuel Nartey George engaged the leadership of MultiChoice Ghana to discuss a possible reduction in fees for DSTV subscriptions. This comes after issues of affordability became topical in recent months after an increase in subscription fees in April.

The sector minister made this known when he engaged the media on July 3 on key initiatives and developments within the sector under the second quarter.

"Last week, I invited the senior leadership of MultiChoice Ghana to a formal dialogue on DSTV's subscription pricing in Ghana. The meeting addressed public concerns about affordability, value for money, and fairness in service delivery. I made it clear the ministry's expectation that pricing structures must be responsive to Ghana's economic context," he said.

"I have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, even though it's a public holiday, with the Ghana team and their South African counterparts, the management from South Africa, they arrived tonight to agree on a way forward on the issues raised," the minister indicated.

He further said; "The outcomes will be shared with the public in due course. This engagement reflects our commitment to regulatory accountability and our resolve to ensure that digital services in Ghana remain fair, accessible, and responsive to the needs of citizens. I'll make you one promise, I won't leave tomorrow's meeting without securing a drop in the pricing of DSTV. That is a solemn promise I make to you."

Subscribers of DStv across Africa, effective April 1, 2025, experienced a price increase of over 15% on their monthly subscription fees, a decision that left many Ghanaian customers aggrieved. The pay-TV provider cited rising consumer inflation and economic challenges as key factors influencing the decision.

According to the new pricing structure, in Ghana, the cost of the premium package rose from GHC750 to GHC865, representing a 15.33% increase. The Compact Plus package moved from GHC495 to GHC570, marking a 15.15% jump, while the Compact package increased from GHC330 to GHC380, also reflecting a 15.15% rise.

The Family package now costs GHC190, up from GHC165, indicating a 15.15% increase, whereas the Access package went up by 16.47%, from GHC85 to GHC99. Subscribers to the DStv Lite package experienced the highest percentage surge of 18.00%, moving from GHC50 to GHC59. The DStv-Asia Standalone package climbed by 14.75%, from GHC305 to GHC350. The Great Wall Add-on increased from GHC70 to GHC80, marking a 14.29% rise.

For those subscribed to the French content add-ons, the French Add-on now costs GHC250, up from GHC215 (16.28% increase), while the French Plus Add-on rose from GHC435 to GHC500, reflecting a 14.94% increase. The French Touch Add-on costs GHC150, up from GHC130, marking a 15.38% increase.

The cost of premium packages with add-ons has also been adjusted. Premium with Asia Add-on increased from GHC1,055 to GHC1,215 (15.17% increase), while Premium with French Add-on now costs GHC1,365, up from GHC1,185 (15.19% increase). The HD-PVR service rose by 15.00%, from GHC100 to GHC115.

Following this, consumer rights organization CUTS International pushed for government intervention in MultiChoice Ghana Limited’s decision to raise subscription fees, arguing that customers were given inadequate notice ahead of the increase. About a month ago, MultiChoice Ghana announced an upgrade in all of its DStv and GOtv packages as well as a reduction in the price of its decoders, from GH¢169 to GH¢89, due to the rebound of the economy.