Starting Wednesday, October 1, 2025, Ghanaian DStv subscribers will receive some enhancements to their subscription packages.
At a media press conference in Accra, Samuel Nartey George, Ghana’s Minister for Communication, Digital Technology, and Innovations, announced that DStv consumers would be gaining between 33% and 50% additional value at no extra cost.
The announcement was made after successful negotiations between the Ministry, the National Communication Authority (NCA), MultiChoice Africa, and MultiChoice Ghana.
“MultiChoice Africa has committed to implement an increased value offer only in Ghana, and I repeat only in Ghana, which will result in Ghanaian DStv subscribers getting more services for less,” The Minister said.
A Win for Consumers Or Just Shuffling The Deck?
The new subscription structure will see automatic upgrades across various DStv bouquets.
Subscribers on the DStv Padi package, priced at GH¢59, will be upgraded to the Access bouquet, valued at GH¢99.
Access subscribers paying GH¢99 will move to the Family package, worth GH¢190, while those on the Family plan will gain access to the Compact bouquet, valued at GH¢380, which includes live football matches.
Compact subscribers will be upgraded to Compact Plus (GH¢570), and Compact Plus customers will enjoy the Premium package, priced at GH¢865.
Premium subscribers, already on the flagship bouquet, will retain their plan and gain eligibility for exclusive opportunities, including trips to watch selected English Premier League matches.
In addition to the subscription upgrades, MultiChoice Africa will halve the cost of Zapper decoders and dish kits, offering a GH¢555 subsidy to make equipment more affordable for new customers.
“Yet another 50% discount for subscribers,” Mr. George noted, highlighting the initiative’s focus on accessibility.
Address Cross-Border Piracy
The agreement also addresses the issue of cross-border piracy, particularly the smuggling of decoders from Nigeria, which has long undermined Ghana’s pay-TV industry.
Mr. George explained that such activities deprive the state of revenue, compromise customer service quality, and hinder the development of local content creation.
The stakeholder committee’s efforts aim to curb these practices, ensuring a more sustainable and equitable market for MultiChoice Ghana and its subscribers.
A Win for Consumers? Or Multichoice?
Mr. George’s initial “scuffle” with DStv stemmed from the fact that the satellite TV operator denied a request to reduce its prices after the appreciation of the Ghanaian Cedi.
The Minister threatened to revoke Multichoice’s TV license if the operator did not reduce its subscription pricing by 30%
After various back-and-forths, today’s announcement seems like a mixed message. On one hand, consumers get a “free” upgrade to a new DStv package without paying an extra price.
But was the average Ghanaian DStv consumer advocating for more channels or reduced pricing? Depends on who you ask.
In some arguments, consumers who “downgrade” their current package will effectively be paying a lower price, essentially saving money.
(eg. Downgrading from Compact to Family will save you GHC 180 and still give you the same service, but with more channels)
In his initial announcement and threat to revoke Multichoice’s license, the Minister was adamant about a price cut.
As The Labari Journal noted in an opinion article, we deduced that Multichoice would likely reduce prices to stay in the Ghanaian marketplace.
In the end, the real winner is essentially Multichoice. The company still keeps its license and continues to operate. They might actually see a bump in new subscriptions after today’s announcement.
Multichoice executives might have seen their brand take a hit in the short term, but long-term, they are still a “monopoly” in the Ghanaian satellite TV space.
It would have been more prudent to have a larger discussion on the creation of competitive laws to enhance the space to challenge Multichoice’s dominance.
This price cut seems more like a short-term win for consumers and a long-term win for Multichoice.
