The standoff between MultiChoice Group and the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation has taken a new turn after the pay-TV oper
The standoff between MultiChoice Group and the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation has taken a new turn after the pay-TV operator rejected claims that it had agreed to reduce DStv subscription fees in the country.
On Friday, September 5, 2025, MultiChoice issued a statement distancing itself from earlier remarks by the Minister, NDC MP Samuel Nartey George, who had told journalists that the company had “finally accepted” the need for price cuts.
According to the Minister, MultiChoice had requested 30 days to work with a newly established pricing committee to determine the level of reduction, but government insisted 14 days would be sufficient.
However, the company flatly denied entering into any such agreement. “We will fully participate in the established Working Committee.
“However, we wish to clarify that MultiChoice Group has not agreed to a price reduction,” the statement stressed. The operator added that engagements with the Ministry and other stakeholders are still ongoing to find what it described as an “amicable solution beneficial for all parties.”
The development marks an escalation in a debate that has been brewing for months over the cost of DStv subscription in Ghana.
Consumers have long complained that prices remain high compared to South Africa and Nigeria, despite Ghana having fewer channel options.
In July, Parliament summoned MultiChoice officials to respond to concerns about what legislators described as “unfair pricing” and a lack of flexible subscription packages.
The latest dispute comes on the heels of other regulatory interventions led by Sam George since assuming office in March 2025.
The Minister previously pushed mobile network operators to revise data and call tariffs downward through a consultative framework with the National Communications Authority (NCA).
He has insisted that a similar model must apply to DStv pricing.
At his press briefing earlier in the day, Sam George announced the formation of a stakeholder committee that will include representatives from the Ministry, the NCA, MultiChoice Ghana, and MultiChoice Africa, with him as chair.
He assured the public that government will not back down on securing a fair pricing structure.
“We have taken the decision to immediately establish a stakeholder committee… MultiChoice has accepted there will be a reduction; what remains is to agree on the percentage,” he declared.
But MultiChoice’s sharp rebuttal has created fresh uncertainty about the process.
The pay-TV giant, which operates across 50 African markets, has often clashed with regulators over subscription models.
In 2021, Nigeria’s House of Representatives directed the company to adopt a pay-per-view system, a demand MultiChoice described as technically and commercially unfeasible.
Ghana’s current push for a reduction in subscription fees echoes these long-standing disputes between the South African-owned firm and African governments.
For now, subscribers are left in limbo. While government insists a reduction is imminent, MultiChoice maintains no agreement has been reached.
The committee’s work over the next two weeks may therefore determine whether Ghanaian households will see any relief in their DStv bills—or whether the impasse will deepen further.
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