Thinus Ferreira
In a humiliating defeat of his own making, Ghana's aggressive and militant communications minister Sam George on Monday was forced to capitulate and back off from his war on MultiChoice and government demand that the pay-TV operator lower prices by 30% or lose its licence.
On Monday in a hastily arranged press conference, Sam George announced that MultiChoice would not be lowering any of its prices in the inflation-riddled West African country and cccc tried to save face by saying that MultiChoice would be adding 30% "value" to its various DStv services.
Sam George's backpedalling on Monday came two months after Sam George in July suddenly publicly started making outrageous demands that MultiChoice needed to lower its prices by 30% in die economically struggling country.
Then, a month later in August Sam Georgev threatened that MultiChoice had 30 days to comply or would have its broadcasting licence in the country revoked.
Although Ghana's goverment that struggles with rampant inflation, a weakened local currency and consumers who are under severe financial pressure claims to be a free-market economy where private companies are allowed to set their own prices, Sam George suddenly slammed MultiChoice management as "arrogant".
Sam George's tirade against MultiChoice came as France's Canal+ was in the process of its corporate takeover of MultiChoice, with Sam George noting that Canal+ management was much ""more positive" than MultiChoice and that he couldn't wait for Canal+'s takeover to be completed so that he could deal with Canal+ execs rather than with MultiChoice.
On Monday in Accra, Sam George, sitting behind a bouquet of microphones, was forced to praise MultiChoice after his spectacular public failure to extract the 30% price reduction he demanded from MultiChoice.
Sam George failed to give any explanation on why he failed to get the 30% reduction in DStv prices he had promised consumers publicly, instead nothing how MultiChoice will now be adding "value" by adding TV channels to bouquets and bumping up subscribers to higher packages.
No DStv Ghana subscribers will be paying less in a dramatic loss for Sam George's windmill chase that further damaged what remains of his credibility and that of his government department.
Now with effusive praise for MultiChoice, Sam George on Monday said DStv subscribers won't be paying less money but get more TV channels from October and that "Effectively, MultiChoice has offered value over and above what we expected of them".
"The committee is of the view that these increased value offers address government concerns. It reduces pressure on Ghanaian households while ensuring the sustainability of the DStv service in Ghana."
Sam George failed to explain how Ghana households under pressure will feel less price pressure without any reduction in DStv fees.
On 7 September Sam George had a meeting with Fulu Badugela, the outgoing MultiChoice Africa boss, who in no uncertain terms told Sam George that MultiChoice will definitely not be lowering any DStv fees in Ghana.
Sam George was told that the reason why MultiChoice Ghana has to constantly increase its fees is because it's a private company and that Ghana's economy is so bad because of the government that price hikes are a function of the weak currency and inflation.
"I acknowledge the mutual respect and candor throughout the committee's deliberation," Sam George said.
Sam George said the government in a committee with MultiChoice Ghana looked at "cost factors, the macro-economic environment of Ghana, subscription volume trends and considered various options from MultiChoice Africa and arrived at an outcome that will deliver better value to all subscribers in Ghana".
So no Ghana MultiChoice price reduction whatsoever: DStv packages will cost exactly what they have been since the last price hike in April 2025.
