Vivendi-owned media giant Canal+, which is set to fully acquire MultiChoice by October 2025, is signalling a willingness to engage Ghana’s regulator to resolve the ongoing dispute over DSTV subscription rates, according to Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation Minister, Samuel Nartey George.
In an interview on Joy News on Tuesday, Mr George confirmed that Canal+, which already holds over one-third of MultiChoice shares, had contacted him directly about the standoff between MultiChoice Ghana and the government. The National Communications Authority (NCA) has given the pay-TV operator until September 8 to respond to an impending licence suspension order after it refused to implement a 30% price cut.
“They are aware of the situation going on here [in Ghana], and I have made it clear to them. If they want to come into Ghana and operate on the licence of the company they are buying, this is our request they’ve made certain indications and I said to them I want it in writing.” Mr George said.
The minister stressed that while Canal+ has received antitrust clearance in South Africa and is expected to assume control in September ahead of the final takeover, public policy decisions cannot be based on verbal assurances. “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,” he added.
The standoff follows MultiChoice Ghana’s decision in April to raise subscription fees by 15%, citing inflation and currency depreciation. The government, through the ministry, demanded a 30% reduction by August 7, a move the company rejected, offering instead to freeze rates at current levels. That counteroffer was dismissed by the regulator, prompting the 30-day ultimatum.
The minister also raised concerns over MultiChoice Ghana’s handling of cross-border piracy, particularly the influx of DSTV decoders from Nigeria operating in Ghana without regulatory oversight.
“I said to DSTV, deal with cross-border piracy and they tell me, well this is not something they can do anything about,” he noted, contrasting the situation with international providers like Starlink, which have complied with restrictions on unlicensed devices entering the market.
He warned that such loopholes deprive the state of potential revenue. “If you bring a device from outside the country and it is working, it means that it is blind to the Ghanaian state,” he said, underscoring the government’s stance on protecting domestic regulatory and fiscal interests as Canal+ prepares to take the reins.
