MTN Ghana has launched a digital entertainment platform that brings together Ghanaian storytelling, live television channels, international programming and flexible viewing options on a single platform.
Dubbed “MTN One TV”, the service is designed to give viewers greater choice in what they watch and how they access entertainment, while providing a digital distribution channel for Ghanaian films, television programmes and other locally produced content.
The platform also creates opportunities for producers, filmmakers, actors, writers and other content creators to reach wider audiences and generate new revenue from their work. By connecting content owners, broadcasters, advertisers and audiences, MTN One TV seeks to strengthen the digital entertainment ecosystem and position Ghanaian content for wider consumption locally and internationally.
The launch, held in Accra yesterday, was on the theme: “Empowering Ghana's Creative Industry Through Collaboration and Digital Innovation.”
It brought together filmmakers, producers, actors, content creators, broadcasters, media owners, advertisers and other stakeholders in the country’s creative industry to explore new opportunities in digital entertainment.
The launch featured a panel discussion on the future of Ghana’s creative industry, digital innovation and the opportunities for creators to expand their reach
Evolution
The Chief Digital Officer of MTN Ghana, Ibrahim Misto, said MTN One TV represented the company’s evolution from a telecommunications operator into a platform business capable of connecting entire ecosystems and helping them scale.
He said the platform was designed to give customers greater entertainment choice, while connecting producers, content owners, broadcasters and advertisers to wider audiences.
“MTN One TV opens an invitation to the industry to collaborate.
We want to hear from you, we want to understand your challenges and then we want to identify with you the opportunities and explore partnerships that can deliver real value to the creators and the audiences.
The future of Ghana's creative industry will be built through collaboration,” he said.
He also emphasised the cultural significance of the initiative, saying stronger digital visibility for Ghanaian stories would help preserve the country’s history, languages, traditions and values while allowing them to reach audiences beyond the country.
Economic benefit
The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, said the launch represented an important step towards making Ghanaian culture commercially viable, rather than merely preserving it.
She said under the revised cultural policy, the government’s focus was to make culture “not just beautiful, but bankable,” and stressed that creators and communities behind Ghanaian stories must benefit economically from their work.
The minister, whose speech was delivered by the Deputy Minister, Yussif Issaka Jajah, said the government was strengthening discussions around intellectual property, local content quotas and training to ensure Ghanaian productions attained world-class standards.
Financial support
The Deputy Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations, Mohammed Adams Sukparu, said the government would support the sector through improved digital infrastructure, skills development and its GH¢20 million seed-funded development initiative, while preparing the industry to take advantage of artificial intelligence without compromising creators’ rights.
He also said the success of MTN One TV should ultimately be measured by its ability to convert digital attention into sustainable livelihoods and businesses for Ghanaian creatives.
He challenged MTN to go beyond distributing content and support new local productions, emerging talent and mechanisms that strengthen the creative ecosystem.
