TV3

TV3 is a private free-to-air television station in Ghana. It began on-air transmission on October 1, 1997 with initial coverage in the Greater Accra Region, parts of Central, Eastern and lower Volta. TV3 Network Limited’s coverage was expanded to the Ashanti Region in 2000 and to the Western Region in 2005. Today it has a nationwide coverage in all regional capitals in Ghana.

TV3 has the third highest audience share (15.3%) among all TV channels in the country, according to Geopoll, a mobile survey platform (Jan – March 2017). However, the Geopoll survey also says that TV3 has the highest penetration reach of 78% nationwide.

Even though they proclaim in their tagline ‘First in News, Best in Entertainment’, TV3 competes for audience especially with UTV and Adom TV during political events such as the election 2016. The station broadcasts diverse programmes from current affairs, news, musical variety shows, drama, reality and entertainment shows, religious broadcasts and sports. In the run-up to the December polls in Ghana, a survey conducted by Goodman AMC (a research consulting firm), shows that TV3’s News programme, News 360, was the third most trusted source of information by respondents during the period.

Based on information by the Ghana News Agency, TV3 Network Limited is owned by Media General Ghana Limited (90% of shares) with another Ghanaian company, Winmat Ghana Limited (10% of shares), as a minority shareholder. The company profile at the Registrar General only listed Media General Ghana Limited.

TV3 started at the early days of private broadcasting. In 1996, a Joint Venture Agreement was entered into by the Government of Ghana, Gama Media Systems, Gama Film Company Limited and Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad. This resulted in the creation of a TV station, TV3. In March 2005, TV3 became a subsidiary of Media Prima Berhad (MPB) of Malaysia, when TV3 Malaysia transferred its shares in GAMA Film Company Limited to it. In September 2011, TV3 was acquired and taken over by Media General Ghana Limited. The GAMA Film Company Limited, which is a joint venture by MPB and the Government of Ghana, was not part of the acquisition. Today, TV3 is wholly-privately owned station in which the government doesn’t hold shares.