SES HD PLUS Ghana, a subsidiary of SES, has commenced its operations in the country with the launch of HD+ to enable television viewers to access their favourite local TV channels in high definition (HD) picture quality.

A statement from SES Ghana, a premium broadcast service provider, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said by simply purchasing an HD+ decoder, viewers in Ghana would receive up to 12 of the most-watched and loved free-to-air (FTA) channels in high definition quality in addition to over 100 standard definition (SD) channels.

“A one-time activation via the USSD short code *879# is required to unlock a free trial period of two months. After the free trial period is over, Ghanaians can continue to enjoy the HD+ FeeliFeeli experience by subscribing for a package via the HD+ USSD code for GHS25 a month. Customers who opt for quarterly and yearly payments will be able to enjoy further discounts from the standard monthly package,” it said.

According to an IPSOS survey conducted recently by HD PLUS Ghana, about 50 per cent of TV homes in Ghana had an HD TV, the statement said.

While there were many international HD channels, there was only one FTA local channel in HD, with the rest of the local channels in SD. Over 95 per cent of households surveyed also said they were willing to pay for the high-quality viewing experience.

Mr Theodore Asampong, Director of SES HD PLUS Ghana, speaking at the launch of HD+ in Accra, said the introduction of HD+ onto the Ghanaian market was in response to the high demand for better picture quality among satellite television viewers in the country.

“We are aware of the high demand for superior picture quality among television viewers and are confident that introduction of HD+ in Ghana will address this need and transform the way Ghanaians view content.

“It is noteworthy that local entertainment still leads in Ghana in terms of content and the fact that HD+ brings the top 12 local stations to Ghanaians viewers in high definition, will be truly revolutionary. We have come with a promise of high quality and this will be delivered in the spirit of agile and unconventional service provision,” he added.

Since 2009, SES HD PLUS Ghana’s parent company SES, has been partnering with local businesses to increase the availability of free to air (FTA) TV channels to the majority of homes across the West and Central African market.

As of year-end 2019, over 4.4 million homes had their satellite dishes pointing at SES’s ASTRA 2F satellite and were able to receive over 100 FTA TV channels on the MultiTV platform in SD. SES HD PLUS Ghana Limited is a subsidiary of SES, the leading global content connectivity solutions provider.

SES HD PLUS Ghana markets the product HD+, that seeks to provide satellite homes with quality and affordable entertainment options by leveraging SES’s experience of delivering satellite TV channels directly to home (DTH) and its success of rolling out the HD+ subscription-based platform in Germany.

There are three subscription packages available: GHS 25 for a month, GHS60 for three months and an annual package that costs GHS 210.

HD+ is open to all broadcasters and looks forward to partnering additional broadcasters who want to deliver their content in high definition quality, the statement said.