3Ktv’s MD reflects on the journey so far

FAST-GROWING independent commercial television station, 3Ktv’s managing director, Zweli Sibanda, says the television channel is well ahead of set targets for the first year of operations. The station celebrates one year of operations today.

“We are elated that the journey that we started last year is progressing exceptionally well. From our own projections we are well ahead of what we thought we will be … This gives us a lot of confidence and joy on the path ahead.

“3Ktv has come along in an exceptionally big way, as the first independent station to be launched in Zimbabwe and the progress that we have made within the course of this first year.

Zweli Sibanda, Jester Media Services’ Managing Director

“We are at a point of great happiness and we are very sure that with the base that we have laid out over the course of this year, will give us a very good launch pad to take the station to a much higher level.”

Sibanda said there was a lot of innovation and fusion of technology in the way the local television channel operates.

“One of the main reasons why we are able to progress so quickly was right from the planning perspective and planning stage. We went out and looked for the best developments in television technology.

“This allowed us to have a quantum leap in terms of development leveraging on the available technology to get us where we are. “We are happy that we have not yet completed our technological infusion stage.

“We have quite a number of aces up our sleeves that will make 3Ktv able to bring content and news to the viewers in a much more compact and effective way,” he added.

According to Sibanda, though there has been a lot of innovation in the first year, there is a lot which is coming through again in the second year, as the station widens the scope of coverage and content. With a number of television stations coming on board, Sibanda said 3Ktv remains unfazed and ready to embrace the competition.

“We embrace competition, there is no one who operates in a vacuum. “We are also going to have an open market. But what differentiates every successful business is having a clear strategy on how you are going to service the market.

“Which is what we developed in the development of the station and which we implemented very well in the first year and that has given us supporters right from day one.” The 3Ktv boss said many corporate advertisers have supported the station because of the unique blend of local content that the station presents.

“Local content is our backbone, which is resonating very well with the viewers. So, we are going to continue on the same path,” he further said. Sibanda also said this past year has brought valuable lessons to the station.

“This has helped us to further sharpen our strategy in terms of viewer engagement and value proposition to our many corporate partners, who are already supporting us — many of whom we have been building up as the station has developed and are showing a lot of interest in coming and joining our platform, as a source of engagement with their clients,” he further said.

With regards to access to the station, Sibanda said the station was on DSTV and very accessible. “All Zimbabwean stations are geo-blocked. We are licensed to operate within our territory, which is the basis within which all the local stations are available to the local market only. “So that is the structure of the environment that we are available on the local market.”