Gov’t Orders NCA to Shut Down DStv Service Amid Pricing Dispute
The Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Hon. Samuel Nartey George, has announced that government has instructed the National Communications Authority (NCA) to shut down MultiChoice Ghana’s DStv service, effective today, following a breakdown in talks over subscription fees.
In a Facebook post on Friday, September 5, the Minister accused MultiChoice of backtracking on earlier commitments to negotiate a price reduction for Ghanaian subscribers.
“If MultiChoice is not interested, as they claim in their last statement, in discussing a reduction in prices as they had indicated to me, we would proceed to effect the shutdown tomorrow as indicated. No company is above the law,” he wrote.
“When MultiChoice is ready to discuss price reduction, they can come to the negotiation table. Until then, there is nothing for us to meet over. The National Communications Authority Ghana would carry out enforcement.”
MultiChoice Responds
In a counterstatement titled “MultiChoice Sets the Record Straight on DStv Pricing”, the pay-TV operator denied agreeing to a fee reduction, insisting that while it remained open to dialogue, its business model had to remain viable.
“We continue to engage with the Minister in a bid to find an amicable solution that is beneficial for all parties involved but does not jeopardise the viability of the DStv service… However, we wish to clarify that MultiChoice Group has not agreed to a price reduction,” the company said.
Background to the Dispute
The standoff follows earlier comments by the Minister suggesting that MultiChoice had requested 30 days for a joint committee to finalize the percentage reduction in fees. The government, however, argued that the process could be concluded within two weeks.
The committee, made up of representatives from the Ministry, the NCA, MultiChoice Ghana, and MultiChoice Africa, was tasked with overseeing negotiations. With MultiChoice now distancing itself from any firm commitment to lower prices, the Minister has ordered the NCA to enforce the shutdown, warning that government will not tolerate what it sees as corporate defiance.
Top Ghanaian Musicians Sign Catalogue Deals with Waka Music Limited