It appears the issues of DSTV pricing are not cooling anytime soon as public policy think tank IMANI Ghana is making fresh demands of the Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Hon. Sam George.
Despite the clarifications offered by Multichoice and the Minister, IMANI Africa insists there are outstanding issues that need to be clarified. IMANI says the true nature of the so-called “increased value offer” announced after the government’s negotiations with MultiChoice Ghana Ltd, operators of DStv, is still murky.
According to IMANI’s Criticality Analysis of Governance Issues (CAGI), what the Minister has celebrated as a breakthrough in fair pay-TV pricing may, in reality, be a marketing promotion disguised as a policy victory.
The think tank says while the Minister had initially vowed to secure at least a 30 percent price reduction in DStv subscription fees, the outcome of his negotiations instead resulted in what DStv described as an “increased value offer”. This, IMANI says, is a temporary automatic upgrade for subscribers to the next higher package at no extra cost.
IMANI argues that the public deserves to know whether this “offer” represents a real downward review of subscription rates or merely a short-term upgrade promotion, which DStv has been known to run periodically to entice subscribers.
“Essentially, what has been offered is just a nationwide upgrade promotion to all Ghanaian subscribers. It is not unprecedented as MultiChoice usually runs this promotion. Most importantly, it is not a price reduction,” the analysis cited by The High Street Journal said.
The think tank pointed out that DStv’s package prices remain unchanged. Packages such as Padi are still at ₵59, Access is still at ₵99, Family is at ₵190, Compact at ₵380, Compact Plus at ₵570, and Premium at ₵865.
This means subscribers who enjoy an upgrade this month would either have to pay the full cost of the higher package in the following month to maintain those channels or downgrade to their old package.
IMANI warns that, without clear communication, the public may be misled into believing that the government successfully negotiated lower subscription prices when, in fact, no actual price reduction has occurred.
The policy group has therefore urged the Minister to clarify in plain terms whether Ghanaians are enjoying new package values at reduced prices or have simply been granted temporary upgrades under DStv’s existing marketing structure.
“Between 2021 and 2025, the monthly fee for the Access package climbed from around GHS45 to GHS99. That is about a 120 percent increase. Ghanaians need to know whether the increased value offer means new package values or just upgrades to the next higher package, which you either choose to stay on by paying its full value or downgrade to your former package in the following month,” IMANI indicated.
The think tank demanded that “Sam George (MP), Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, must clarify.”
For IMANI, Ghanaians deserve clarity, not celebration, on whether the government’s engagement with MultiChoice achieved a meaningful price reduction or merely an illusion of value.
