Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association, (GIBA) has rebuffed government’s attempt to place the country’s Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) Infrastructure in the hands of Star Times, a Chinese owned paid TV.
Ghana’s quest to migrate from Analog to Digital Broadcasting has suffered three postponements. Although the Global deadline is 2020, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) urged governments to migrate from Analog Broadcasting to Digital by June 2015 which Ghana could not meet therefore was rescheduled to June 2016, which it failed again to achieve.
September 21, 2017 became the new deadline which was also missed, government then pushed the country’s full migration to 2018 which is already nine months old.
The Communication Ministry believes that by allowing the Chinese company to extend its satellite TV to over 300 villages across the country, Ghanaians in the rural communities will become alert on all national issues.
However, GIBA believes that if Star Times is allowed to control Ghana’s only Digital Terrestrial Television (DDT) infrastructure and the Satellite space all in the name of migrating from Analog Broadcasting to Digital, the country will virtually submit its broadcasting space to Chinese control and content which will destroy independent broadcasting and kill the businesses of existing local broadcasters.
