SES HD PLUS transforms free-to-air HD viewing in Ghana

ES HD PLUS Ghana, the leading high-definition (HD) satellite broadcast service provider in the country, has successfully transitioned from its subscription-based platform to the free-to-air (FTA) platform as planned.

This positions the SES platform in Ghana as the first in Ghana to support broadcasters to offer HD channels on an FTA basis. This ground-breaking move underscores SES HD PLUS Ghana’s commitment to enhancing viewer experience and democratizing access to high-definition content starting 13 June 2024.

The HD channels available for free-to-air viewing on the MultiTV platform operated by another SES affiliate, West Africa Platform Services GH LTD (WAPS) will include Afrosini, Sporty TV, KOOL HD, Aljazeera, GNTV Junior, YTV, 4Syte TV, GTV Sports+, UTV, GTV, Channel 1 (formerly Citi TV), DGN, Joy Prime, Joy News, Adom TV, TV XYZ, and GHOne offering viewers an exciting mix of high-definition television content at no cost.

The FTA HD platform is open to all broadcasters and looks forward to partnering with more broadcasters.

Adelaide Abbiw-Williams, CEO of SES HD PLUS, said, "We are thrilled to collaborate with our channel partners to make quality TV viewing pictures more accessible to viewers. By adopting a free-to-air model, we are enabling broadcasters and advertisers to enjoy the satellite reach as well as Ghanaians to enjoy the high-quality content that was previously available only to our subscription customers."

She further added “Over 5 million households are currently connected to the MultiTV platform, and this strategic additional offering of HD channels will not enhance and revolutionize television viewing experiences across. We look forward to the positive impact this change will bring to our customers and the broadcasting industry.”

All FTA decoders installed within the MultiTV satellite frequency can access and view these HD Channels without the need to buy a new decoder. This includes HD+ Decoders, however, users are required to upgrade their devices with a software update that went live on 30 May 2024 to support the FTA transition.

This software will be available over the air until 30 May 2025, however, with the change in the SES HD PLUS business model, from an operations point of view, HD+ Decoder users can receive support on software download issues till 20 June 2024.

On 13 and 20 June, customers must reboot their decoders to access new HD channels. FTA decoder users on the MultiTV platform should perform a channel search or contact the nearest installer for help.