There has been a barrage of criticisms from frustrated Ghanaians following the absence of the Black Stars’ match against Comoros on local television stations.
Recent Black Stars matches have been broadcast exclusively on Digital Satellite Television (DStv), a South African-based broadcasting company, depriving many citizens the opportunity to watch their team on tv.
In response to the controversy, the national broadcaster, Ghana Television (GTV), explained that their inability to televise the matches is due to financial constraints.
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The administrator of GTV’s social media platforms disclosed on Facebook that the station would need to pay a hefty sum of $750,000 to acquire the rights to broadcast the matches.
“It is easy to take a feed and show it live. What is not easy is coughing up $750,000 ( GH¢9.1M) to pay for it. It does not take a ‘useless station’ to produce football matches to FIFA standards. There are real issues we need to address. After the privileged few have finished watching the match on satellite TV, we can now talk about how to bring World Cup matches to the masses,” the post read.
The administrator also cited examples of how state media in other countries thrive because citizens take the payment of TV license fees seriously.
However, the situation in Ghana is different, as proceeds from the TV license are insufficient to fund operations that would allow live broadcasts of major football matches, especially those involving the Black Stars.
“BBC is attractive because British people and residents pay a TV license fee. The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) raises 1 billion Rand ($57M) from TV licenses annually,” the post added.
GTV appealed to Ghanaians to pay their TV license to help raise funds to make payment and show subsequent Black Stars matches.
SB/JE
Read the Facebook posts below:
SB/JE
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