Cameroon’s Ministry of Communication is preparing a protocol intended to ensure that public-service channels CRTV and CRTV News are carried free of charge across private television distribution networks, a move that could change the relationship between national broadcasting and pay-TV operators.
The initiative follows ministerial correspondence dated 19 October 2026, referenced 00001756/MINCOM/SG/DIC, which reportedly set out plans for an agreement with television distributors. According to Season Media, a signing ceremony is scheduled for 4 November at the ministry’s auditorium in Yaoundé. The operators identified in the report are Canal+ Cameroun, Orange Cameroun, SWECOM PLC, StarTimes Cameroun, TVCAM SARL and Creolink Communications.
The proposal has been driven in part by the citizen movement Boycott Canal+ Cameroun, which has campaigned for wider access to local channels and lower subscription costs. The group has described the planned arrangement as progress towards keeping national channels permanently and freely available within pay-TV bouquets. However, the precise obligations will depend on the final protocol, including which channels qualify and how distributors must implement the arrangement.
For Cameroon’s broadcasting industry, the central issue is the economics of carriage. Making public-service channels available without an additional charge could reduce one of the perceived benefits of subscribing to a private television bouquet. At the same time, distributors would still need to account for the costs of carrying and transmitting those channels. The proposal, as reported, does not yet clarify whether carriage costs will be compensated, absorbed by operators or addressed through another arrangement.
The initiative also raises questions about the distinction between free access to a channel and free access to a television service. A requirement to include CRTV and CRTV News in paid bouquets without a separate charge would not necessarily make the entire bouquet free, nor would it automatically guarantee access to households without a compatible receiver or subscription infrastructure.
The timing is significant amid tensions between Cameroon’s communications ministry and the National Communication Council over the treatment of private broadcaster Vision 4. In October, the ministry asked Canal+ to restore Vision 4 to its bouquet following a regulatory suspension, while maintaining that sanctions against individual journalists should be respected. The episode illustrates the complex relationship between government oversight, independent regulatory decisions and distribution operators.
The free-carriage proposal has not yet established a comprehensive new regulatory regime. Although a signing date and six distribution operators have been reported, the ministry’s publicly accessible updates do not yet provide the final protocol or its full implementation conditions. Questions about enforcement, sanctions, eligible channels and the allocation of carriage costs therefore remain open.
If implemented, the agreement could improve the visibility and accessibility of Cameroon’s public-service television channels across private distribution platforms. Its longer-term impact will depend on whether the final terms provide clear obligations for operators while addressing the practical costs of delivering the channels.
