Media conglomerate Vivendi’s Canal+ which, currently owns over a third of MultiChoice, Africa’s largest pay TV operator, DSTV – and has just obtained anti-trust approval for the complete takeover which is expected to be finalised by October is willing to talk to the regulator in Ghana to resolve the current impasse between Multichoice Ghana and the Ghana government over subscription rates, sector Minister Samuel Nartey George has said.
In a radio interview with Joy FM on Tuesday [Aug 12], monitored by Graphic Online, Mr Sam George, the Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, said Canal+’s attitude towards the issues raised about Multichoice Ghana’s subscription rates was more positive.
They are aware of the situation going on here [in Ghana], and I have made it clear to them. They have reached out [to me] and I have made it clear to them, if they want to come into Ghana and operate on the license that the company that they are buying has, this is our request…, they’ve made certain indications and I said to them I want it in writing,” Mr George said.
He said Canal+ has gotten the all clear from the commission in South Africa, and “I believe that should kick in from sometime from September and so Canal + are the ones taking over.
“I don’t want to take public policy decisions on the basis of phone calls that have been made to me. “[I’ve asked them to] put it in an official letter. Canal + is willing to talk to us, I will not run from the fact that Canal+’s attitude is more positive than that of Multichoice,” Mr Sam George said.
But before that is completed Ghana’s communication regulator, the National Communications Authority (NCA), has ordered the shutdown of MultiChoice Ghana, that operates DSTV’s pay-TV in 30 days by September 8, 2025, due to the streamer’s refusal to cut its subscription rate by 30%.
Like other countries in West Africa, Ghana, through the sector minister, Sam George, recently raised issues about the steep increase in subscription charges for the DSTV pay-TV services which Multichoice Ghana said was partly caused by rampant inflation rates and weak currency.
Over the past two years, MultiChoice has raised fees for its traditional satellite pay-TV business in several African countries, such as Nigeria and Kenya, as well as Zambia, Ghana, Uganda and Namibia, among others.
In Ghana, the pay-TV group increased the subscription fees by 15% in April with little notice, prompting the communications minister, Sam George, to give MultiChoice an ultimatum to lower its rate by 30% by August 7.
MultiChoice didn’t oblige and instead offered to maintain rates at existing levels, which has been rejected by the regulator.
The NCA has consequently told MultiChoice Ghana that it has 30 days to “present its views, or provide remedial action, and submit a written statement of its objections to the suspension of the authorization”.
It is following this that the sector minister, in the radio interview monitored by Graphic Online on Tuesday said Canal+, which is taking over from Multichoice in Africa, when the deal goes through by October, has reached out and showed a positive attitude to resolve the impasse.
DSTV tells me they cannot block cross-border piracy of decoders from Nigeria – Sam George
Meanwhile, Mr Sam George has said Multichoice Ghana was not interested in dealing with cross-border piracy issues in Ghana on its platform.
There is a lot of cross-border piracy of DSTV devices [decoders and dishes] from Nigeria working in Ghana, where Multichoice Ghana has no control over.
According to Mr Sam George, he has engaged Multichoice Ghana for them to deal with that cross-border piracy but Multichoice Ghana was not interested in dealing with all critical issues, including the cross-border piracy on their platform.
He said they have told him, there was nothing they can do about it.
Mr George said for instance Starlink is an international company, and “we had instances where people were bringing Starlink devices from other African countries into Ghana to operate. We called Starlink and said we won’t allow that to happen.”
“Because you see, there are revenue lines as well for the state on devices that are located in the country. So if you bring a device from outside the country and it is working, it means that it is blind to the Ghanaian state.”
“I said to DSTV deal with cross border piracy and they tell me, well this is not something they can do anything about.”