CUTS International has called on the National Communications Authority (NCA) to promote market competition in Ghana’s pay-TV industry to prevent recurring disputes over DStv subscription fees.
According to the group, the NCA should avoid endorsing exclusivity agreements that grant companies, especially foreign firms, overwhelming control over the market.
In an interview on ABC News GH, Appiah Adomako Kusi, West African Regional Director of CUTS International, argued that exclusivity clauses are one of the biggest enablers of dominance in Ghana’s entertainment service sector.
“NCA should not permit companies that have exclusivity agreements. They should rather seek to promote competition. They should not buy into exclusivity agreement,” he said.
He warned that such arrangements ultimately disadvantage consumers and lead to price exploitation.
His comments follow weeks of regulatory standoff between the government and MultiChoice Ghana, which came to a head after the Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation announced a compulsory 30% reduction in subscription fees. MultiChoice Ghana disputed the claim but later agreed to participate in a Stakeholder Committee to evaluate and propose new pricing.
The committee, inaugurated today, September 8, 2025, brings together the Ministry, the NCA, MultiChoice Ghana, and MultiChoice Africa.
It has been tasked with reviewing subscription models and presenting a revised pricing framework by September 21, 2025.
The NCA confirmed in a press release that it has also received MultiChoice Ghana’s pricing model as part of the review.
Consumer groups say this moment presents an opportunity for regulators to level the playing field in the pay-TV industry.
For many households in Ghana, the rising cost of subscription fees has been a strain, and expectations are high that the committee’s outcome will bring relief.
CUTS International insists that sustainable solutions lie not only in price reviews but in building a truly competitive market that prevents abuse of dominance.
By Ruth Sekyi – adwoaokwan2019.com
