SES has expanded its technical reach in Ghana and now serves four million TV homes, compared to two million in 2015, according to the Satellite Monitor study commissioned by SES.
SES now reaches two-thirds of TV homes in the country, the vast majority being fed directly by its satellite fleet.
The increased reach is mainly driven by SES’s prime orbital position at 28.2 degrees East, which reaches 97% of all satellite TV homes in Ghana. From that orbital slot, SES hosts WAPS (West Africa Platform Services), a free-to-air TV platform that provides broadcasters with access to the highest reach in West Africa and gives Ghanaian viewers access to 75 TV channels.
The results of Satellite Monitor show that satellite has grown rapidly and has become the leading delivery mode in Ghana: out of six million TV homes, four million are directly reached by satellite, an 83% increase compared to 2015. The remaining two million homes are fed by terrestrial networks, representing a 40% decline since 2015. The study also illustrates the important role of satellite for the digital switchover, serving 95% of digital TV homes. Digital TV has expanded in the country, with 69% of homes receiving digital TV signals, up from 40% in 2015.
“The Satellite Monitor results for the Ghanaian market clearly illustrate the strong role of satellite broadcasting within the television infrastructure and SES as an enabler to bring digital TV to the highest number of homes in the country,” said Clint Brown, VP, Sales & Market Development for Africa, SES Video.
“We are committed to boosting TV growth in the Ghanaian market, as well as helping broadcasters and content programmers seize opportunities to gain more viewers. Our extensive reach in the market, along with our video end-to-end solutions, will certainly contribute to achieving that goal.”
SES has also expanded its reach to 30 million TV homes across Africa. In addition to the growth of homes reached in Ghana, the study also shows that there was an increase from 3 million to 11 million homes reached in Nigeria. In addition, Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania – which are being included in the Satellite Monitor for the first year – account for an additional 7 million homes reached by SES.
