DSTV’s license will be revoked if prices aren’t reduced by August 7- Sam George
The Minister of Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has instructed the National Communications Authority (NCA) to revoke the broadcasting license of MultiChoice-owned DSTV if the company fails to lower its subscription prices by August 7, 2025.
This directive follows DSTV’s refusal to adjust its prices in line with the recent appreciation of the Ghanaian cedi, despite growing public calls for a price reduction.
The Minister’s comments came after a high-level meeting with DSTV officials on Friday, July 4, 2025, aimed at addressing concerns over the affordability and fairness of DSTV’s pricing. The meeting was prompted by mounting public complaints regarding the service’s subscription costs.
In response, DSTV submitted a nine-page letter to the Ministry, explaining that the cedi had depreciated by over 200% over the past eight years. The company argued that the recent gains in the local currency were temporary and unsustainable, and therefore insufficient grounds for lowering prices.
However, Sam George disagreed with this position, emphasising that the government would not tolerate price rigidity that negatively impacts Ghanaians.
“On the 21st of July this year, I received a nine-page letter from MultiChoice detailing why they were refusing to reduce their pricing.
“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 Ghanaian cedi over the last six months has been a fluke which could not be sustainable.
Sam George further clarified that he had written to the NCA, directing the authority to suspend DSTV’s broadcasting license by August 7 if they do not implement a price reduction.
“As minister, my fidelity is to the Ghanaian people. I have had to act in the interest of the Ghanaian people. And I believe that 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.”
“I cannot as minister, serving the Ghanaian people, continue to watch what can best be described as plain stealing happening to the Ghanaian people,” he said.
The Minister made these statements during a ministerial briefing on Friday, August 1, where he provided updates on key developments in the digital and communications sectors for the second quarter of the year.
This latest standoff has sparked growing public outrage over DSTV’s pricing structure, with many urging for immediate regulatory intervention to ensure satellite television remains affordable for all Ghanaians.
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