(Ecofin Agency) – In 2019, Ethiosat, a bouquet dedicated to Ethiopian channels and available free-to-air, was created in partnership with the satellite operator SES. 5 years later, Ethiopian broadcasters are complaining about the price of being present on this bouquet initially created to reduce broadcasters’ expenses.
In Ethiopia, local radio broadcasters are protesting against the cost of their presence on Ethiosat, a bouquet dedicated to local television. According to Ethiopian channels, the level of payments necessary to stay on the platform is “unfair”. The first complaints were made on May 7 during the East Africa Broadcast And Digital Media Convention.
Since then, via the Ethiopian Media Council, local broadcasters have launched a petition to reduce the fees to be paid to be present on Ethiosat. According to the petition, just over 70 broadcasters collectively pay more than $6 million a year to be on the package.
Note, however, that before the launch of Ethiosat in 2019, Ethiopian channels paid up to $10 million per year to foreign satellite operators to transport them.
The bouquet is currently transported on a platform created in 2017 thanks to an agreement between the Ethiopian information systems security agency and SES. According to data recently published by the satellite operator, 17 million households follow the programs of the Ethiosat bouquet.
For the moment, neither the Ethiopian government nor SES have responded to the broadcasters’ complaints.
Servan Ahougnon
