3Ktv roused Zim television sector

… as viewers and advertisers warmly embrace new station

THE widely-celebrated launch a year ago of the country’s first independent television station, 3Ktv, changed Zimbabwe’s hirtherto drab broadcasting sector for the better, and for good.

So says Pilate Machadu, the Group Chief Executive of Jester Media Services (JMS), the owners and operators of 3Ktv, whose fast-growing media stable includes the iconic Daily News, the Daily News On Sunday, e-newsletter Business Live and The Financial Gazette — the country’s number one business publication.

Pilate Machadu, the Group Chief Executive of Jester Media Services

This comes as 3Ktv celebrates a solid 12 months of live and uninterrupted broadcasting today, having been licensed in November 2020, after grabbing first position in a competitive and public bidding process then.

It went on air on 28 February 2022, becoming the first licensed private national commercial station to operate in the country since television was first introduced in the then Southern Rhodesia in November 1960.

Reminiscing about the bid for 3Ktv’s licence and its subsequent unlikely launch last year — against all odds and expectations — Machadu said public feedback confirmed that the station was “a game-changer not just for the JMS Group, but also for the entire local broadcasting and broader media sector”.

“There is no doubt that the launch of 3Ktv changed the broadcasting landscape in the country. Indeed, not many people believed at the time that we went on air that it could be done successfully

“It is mind-blowing to realise that it has been a year now since we went live, and 3Ktv continues to grow from strength to strength all round, including in terms of its audiences and commercial sustainability.

“Of course, none of this would have been possible without the support of all our key stakeholders, including 3Ktv’s viewers and advertisers,” a buoyant Machadu said. “Our partnership with MultiChoice Africa has similarly been critical in placing us among the broadcasting heavyweights in the region from day one,” he added.

Machadu also lauded the government and the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) for opening up the airwaves and transparently introducing diversity in the local broadcasting industry.

“The coming in of 3Ktv, and later other new television stations, has brought a breath of fresh air in the industry, while creating employment and other opportunities for many people. “In our case, we have created hundreds of new jobs directly and indirectly, amid indications that many more people will benefit from this investment in television.

“We are also giving voices to many previously marginalised communities around the country, while also ensuring that marketers have a choice and optimal channels for their products,” Machadu also said.

Turning to JMS, which began as a small magazine publisher more than three decades ago, he said the diversified media group continued to grow, and was now a force to reckon with in the market.

“A mere 10 years ago we were a relatively small, unknown and publicity-shy entity. Today, we operate some of the country’s biggest, most important and most successful media brands. And we have bigger ambitions. “The significant investment in 3Ktv signals our plans to continue growing the group and to create Zimbabwe’s largest and most commercially sustainable media conglomerate in the next 10 years.

“Our group success is founded on believing when others are doubting, planning when others are fooling around, deciding while others are delaying, beginning while others are procrastinating, working while others are wishing and complaining, investing when others are wasting and persisting when others are quitting,”

Machadu also said. All this comes as independent research has confirmed that 3Ktv, is now the most watched Zimbabwean channel on satellite television. In addition, the history-making, free-to-air channel is beginning to make significant strides on the digital terrestrial broadcasting front, as authorities slowly start to roll out the required set top boxes.

Zweli Sibanda, Jester Media Services’ Managing Director

This is according to a report of the non-partisan Zimbabwe All Media and Products Survey (ZAMPS) for the first six months of 2022, that was finalised when 3Ktv was just three months old — which tied in with internal research which showed that the station had been a runaway success.

ZAMPS is a continuous local media study that is commissioned by the Zimbabwe Advertising Research Foundation (ZARF).

It gathers data on the consumption and usage of different media platforms and commercially-produced products for use by advertisers and other interested parties. The ZAMPS report also showed that 3Ktv was more popular overall in Zimbabwe than South African channels, which include those under the stable of the giant South African Broadcasting Corporation.

About this, Zweli Sibanda — Jester Media Services’ Managing Director for the group’s Broadcasting Division — told the Daily News that the channel continued to be well ahead of all the projected viewership and advertising figures.

“3Ktv is enjoying phenomenal support from Zimbabweans, which is reflected in the ZAMPS report and the station’s all-round solid performance. “The support that we are getting from both viewers and our business partners continues to surpass all our initial projections. “Not surprisingly, as a result, we are seeing more and more corporates coming on board to showcase their products and services on the station,” Sibanda said.