Zimbabwe jubilates as 3Ktv goes on air

ZIMBABWEANS from a wide cross-section of society have welcomed the launch of history-making, independent television station 3Ktv, which goes live at 6am tomorrow.

The free-to-air, family-viewing oriented station will also be available on MultiChoice’s DStv platform — on Channel 293 — to all bouquets offered by Africa’s leading entertainment company, from Premium through to Lite.

It will be broadcasting 24 hours, seven days a week from its brand new studios in Harare from the word go.

3Ktv head of programming, Christina Nyirenda-Chimuka

Among those who have welcomed the arrival of  3Ktv is the chief executive of the Zimbabwe Advertising Research Foundation (ZARF), Pamela Gwanzura, who has said that the arrival of the station would freshen up the broadcasting sector.

“The launch of 3Ktv on the Zimbabwe media landscape is incredible because from the highlights I have seen so far, 3Ktv is coming with a fresh feel and thrust towards promoting quality local talent.

“3Ktv could be a conduit to our local talent being recognised in the international arena. This is a great development.

“On the media front, 3Ktv is entering the TV space and positioning itself against existing competitors.

‘We, at ZARF will be happy to track 3Ktv’s progress through our Zimbabwe All Media and Products Survey (ZAMPS) in terms of its viewership from the time it is launched,” Gwanzura said.

She added that 3Ktv parent company, Jester Media Services, had put together an incredibly seasoned team to run the station, further expressing confidence that the new station would “fly” just like the other product offerings within the multi-media group.

On her part, the chairperson of the Advertising Standards Authority of Zimbabwe (ASAZIM), Sapi Bachi, said the coming on stream of 3Ktv would give consumers more choices.

“We have heard of the licences that were issued two years ago. It’s really exciting to see one coming out.

“The consumer now has an option in terms of what they can watch. This is because competition … makes us better.

Monica Mutsvangwa, Information Minister

“Our media space is now … more interesting. I think for brands, this development in our media space, in terms of channels and preferences, is going to become very important.

“For consumers, choice is an amazing thing. We are going to be given choice in terms of what we watch and I think that’s a really exciting development,” Bhachi said.

The executive secretary of the Marketers Association of Zimbabwe (Maz), Gillian Rusike, said 3Ktv was going to provide more competition in the media industry.

“For the marketing profession, this is a welcome development as it allows choices to be made from the various options.

“Choices will be made based on value for money and return on investment. Choices will also be made on quality output to convey the exact messages for the intended audience.

“From a marketing perspective, this is a welcome development which will give marketers another platform to reach new audiences with their offerings. We look forward to exciting moments ahead,” Rusike said.

A proud Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services minister, Monica Mutsvangwa, said at a glittering launch event of the channel in Harare on Friday night that this marked the beginning of a new era in the broadcasting sector.

“It is my singular honour and privilege to officiate at this momentous occasion, the official launch of 3Ktv, one of the six commercial television stations that my ministry, through the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe, licensed in November 2020.

“We cannot talk of today’s launch without reminiscing on the journey that we traversed together as government and the media sector.

“You agitated for the reform of the media sector and as a listening government we responded positively by opening up the broadcasting and print media spaces to allow for more diverse voices.

“We repealed the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) to Freedom of Information Act, and at the moment we are working on the Zimbabwe Media Practitioners Bill as part of wider efforts by the Second Republic to create a media environment that will leave no one and no place behind,” Mutsvangwa said.

“I am pleased, therefore, that tonight we are ushering in a new listening and guidepost, in the form of 3kTV, from which we expect to get a new, rich and fresh take of our diverse and sophisticated society.

“As the government continues to license more players in the broadcasting sphere, we remain optimistic that 3Ktv and others so granted licences will perform their roles with credibility, objectivity and professionalism,” she added.

National broadcasting signals carrier, Transmedia, said the arrival of 3Ktv was testament to the government’s commitment to opening up the airwaves to ensure plurality in the media industry.

Transmedia chief executive, Adonia Mushosho, said the national signals carrier was delighted by the new development in the broadcasting services sector.

“As Transmedia we want to congratulate 3Ktv for being the first private broadcaster to come on our Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) platform.

“As you know we are responsible for broadcasting radio and television signals throughout the country.

“We are very excited in this new era where a number of private broadcasters have been licensed and we are taking them on board.

“We are happy that we are beginning to see the fruition of the government’s mandate to ensure that there is variety for the people of Zimbabwe, and us as the transmission company for signals are very excited to take on board 3Ktv,” Mushosho said.

On the digitisation programme, Mushosho said significant progress had been recorded so far.

“We have a number of sites that are active on the digital terrestrial platform, but on the satellite platform side the whole country is covered depending on the gadget that you have.

“If you are using digital TV, then we have 18 sites that are already active.

“But on the satellite platform, if you have a satellite decoder it’s throughout the country. The footprint for the satellite is throughout the country,” Mushosho added.

Renowned stand-up comedian, Carl Joshua Ncube had the select gathering in stitches when he took to the stage at the launch event, which attracted the who is who of government, business, showbiz, legal professions and civil society.

On the other hand, multi-award-winning music maestro, Jah Prayzah, had the gathered guests on their feet for the three solid hours that he entertained them.

The lanky musician performed multiple songs from his impressive discography and had top corporate executives begging for more when the show had to end.

3Ktv was licensed in November 2020, having come tops following a keenly-fought bidding and public hearing process.

The station is a sister venture to Zimbabwe’s iconic and number one business newspaper, The Financial Gazette, as well as the inimitable Daily News and the Daily News On Sunday.