Television stations operating on Ghana’s National Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) platform will be required to pay a monthly tariff of US$7,000 from January 2027, Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations Minister Samuel Nartey George has announced .
The new charge forms part of a revised cost-sharing framework developed following a comprehensive review of the national DTT platform. Speaking at the Government Accountability Series at Jubilee House in Accra on Monday, September 7, Mr George disclosed that a committee established after the review had recommended a graduated tariff support mechanism to complement the existing subsidised national tariff .
“I set up a committee, and that committee has recommended a sustainable cost-sharing framework and a graduated tariff support mechanism to complement the subsidised national tariff, which will see all TV stations on our DTT platform pay US$7,000 per month during the initial implementation years in a graduated manner,” the Minister stated .
Background to the DTT platform
Ghana’s Digital Terrestrial Television platform was established in 2016 under the leadership of then Minister Edward Omane Boamah . The platform was originally designed with a cost-sharing strategy whereby television stations would enjoy free access in the first year, pay 50 percent of fees in the second year, 75 percent in the third year, and eventually bear the full cost .
However, the policy was not fully implemented. An attempt by a previous administration to introduce fees was challenged in court by the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), and the matter was never conclusively resolved . As a result, more than 45 television stations have been using the platform for nearly a decade without contributing to its operation and maintenance costs .
The DTT network, built at a cost of US$82.5 million by indigenous Ghanaian company K-Net Limited, reaches approximately 90 percent of the population . It consists of 42 transmitter sites, each equipped with two transmitters—one for regional transmissions and another for national broadcasts—with capacity for up to 20 television channels each .
Sustainable financing model
The government has been carrying the entire cost of running the platform, effectively subsidising private broadcasters at significant expense to the state . Minister George had previously warned that “the free ride bus is running out of gas,” emphasising the need for a sustainable funding arrangement .
In May 2026, the Minister engaged broadcasters on efforts to develop a sustainable cost-sharing framework, reaffirming the government’s commitment to a transparent and consultative process . He stressed that decisions on the introduction of fees would be taken in collaboration with industry players, noting that Ghana’s DTT infrastructure had operated for several years without achieving meaningful cost recovery .
The Minister clarified that the DTT platform should not yet be viewed as a profit-making venture but rather as critical national infrastructure requiring collective industry support to remain operational and effective .
Review of ICT legislation
In a related development, Mr George disclosed that the government is reviewing 15 pieces of ICT legislation as part of efforts to update Ghana’s legal framework for the digital sector . Approximately half of the review process has been completed, with stakeholder consultations concluded on 10 priority bills .
The bills include the Data Harmonisation Bill, Cybersecurity Authority Bill, Ghana Innovation and Startup Bill, and the National Communications Authority Bill, alongside six other proposed laws .
The new DTT tariff arrangements are scheduled to take effect from January 2027, with the framework intended to balance the cost of operating the national digital television platform with the need to ensure broadcasters can continue to reach audiences across the country while safeguarding the public’s right to information .
