TV licence fee upped; takes effect August 21

The National Media Commission (NMC) has announced new television licensing fees with effect from Friday, August 21.

The fee for domestic owners of television has been increased from GHp30 to GH¢36 per annum for one television set but GH¢60 for two or more.

The fees are said to have been unchanged for the past 24 years.

Dealers in television sets will pay GH¢5 per month while commercial license users will pay GH¢3 per month for one television set.

According to the Chairman of the Commission, Ambassador Kabral Blay Amihere, Ghana’s fee for domestic owners is inadequate in relation to fees charged elsewhere.

He cited that the new fee amounts to €6, which is wee when compared to €31 (in South Africa), €119 (in France), €194 (in the UK), €204 (in Germany) and €292 (in Switzerland).

Ambassador Amihere explained that the revenue will be shared in percentage terms among Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), 72, Ghana Independent Broadcasting Association (GIBA), 15, National Media Commission (NMC), 4, Media Development Fund, 4, Films Fund, 2 and Management of TV Licence Fee (GBC), 3.

Director General of GBC Major (rtd) Albert Don Chebe said his firm will adopt a multifaceted approach in collecting revenue especially in the face of digital migration.

“When we migrate to digital, all the popular free-to-air televisions will be sitting on the same platform, using the same transmitters and all Ghanaians who have analogues tv sets will require a set-up box to be able to transform the digital pictures to be able to watch on the analogue tv.”

But stakeholders have called on GBC to roll out sensitization and publicity campaigns to educate the public on the process and procedure in the payment of the tv licence fees.