Television remains one of the most widely patronised forms
of media today, largely because of its combination of audio and visuals in
motion, to give the audience a real life feel of events. Television viewing in
Ghana has come a long way. Backtracking to the 90s, viewers had to wait till
5:00pm each day to watch GBC TV now GTV, which was the only television station
available.
Now, in 21st century Ghana, we have what I term
the “zipping and zapping age,” where viewers are spoilt for choice because of
the increasing number of television stations. It has become very difficult to
retain an audience unless you have something worth watching. This has created
some form of competition among television stations. So what makes each station
standout in the face of competition?
Ghana Television Station
(GTV)
GTV is the “Station of
the Nation,” run by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation. It is the oldest
television station in Ghana having over 98% reach; this makes it the most
prevailing mode of advertisement. It also broadcasts a lot of local programmes
with rich and original content. Being funded mainly by the government of Ghana,
it is the most reliable source in terms of getting information on government
policies.
TV3 Network Limited (TV3 Ghana)
Talk about challenging the status quo in television viewing
and you would err if you do not mention TV3 as number one. Coming to the scene
in 1997, TV3 gave viewers something wonderful to look forward to with its early
news bulletin, TV drama and countless entertainment programmes. Establishing
itself as “First in News, Best in Entertainment,” TV3 has been able to break a
chunk of the television viewership market with almost 90% penetration
nationwide. Despite stiff competition, TV3 has remained popular for the airing
of reality TV shows, Mexican telenovelas, Korean series and a variety of local
and foreign movies.
Metropolitan
Entertainment Television (Metro TV)
Metro
TV has
a nationwide coverage, making it the second largest broadcasting station in
Ghana. Starting as a weekend network with its broadcast reach in Accra, Metro
TV focused on quality family content entertainment. Now, it has established
itself as Ghana's leading Sports TV station, with a strong news desk of local,
regional and international content.
Viasat 1 Ghana
Viasat 1 Ghana is part of
the international broadcasting media group, Modern Times Group (MTG). It began
operations in 2008 and is well known for its consecutive airing of
entertainment programmes. The entertainment niche it has carved for itself makes
it a suitable platform for advertising. Though it has no nationwide penetration
yet, it has become the second most-watched television station in Ghana within
the space of six years.
TV
Africa
TV Africa is known for its airing of African-Ghanaian
centered programmes. It has a variety of programmes in local languages and has
an agenda of promoting socio-economic development in the country. It is purely
an educational television network with its broadcast centered in Accra.
United Television (UTV)
Let us welcome the new baby on the block, UTV. One of its
superior elements is broadcasting purely in the most pre-dominant language in
Ghana - Akan. It also broadcasts rich family entertainment content and news for
its viewers. At the moment, UTV has its broadcast reach only in Accra however
they have carved a niche for themselves with a defined target audience.
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