3Ktv makes merry on its first birthday

ZIMBABWE’s first independent television station, 3Ktv, celebrated a full 12 months of live and uninterrupted broadcasting on Tuesday, as the history-making free-to-air channel continues to grow from strength to strength.
The channel — which was licensed in November 2020 after taking first position in a competitive and public bidding process — went on air amid palpable excitement on February 28 last year, becoming the first licensed private commercial station then to operate in the country since television was first introduced in Southern Rhodesia in November 1960.

Pilate Machadu, the group CEO of Jester Media Services

Pilate Machadu, the group CEO of Jester Media Services (JMS), the owners and operators of 3Ktv, said yesterday that the story of the station was “a minor miracle” — with the channel having already achieved things that were beyond the company’s wildest dreams when it went live in 2022.

“It is true that we were always convinced even before we launched 3Ktv that the station would do well, but one year down the road it is exceeding even our most bullish expectations all round, which is absolutely wonderful, especially given the current challenging operating environment. It really feels like yesterday when 3Ktv became the first of the country’s six licensed private, free-to-air stations to go live on the 28th of February last year.
“It is also great to see that Zimbabweans love 3Ktv. Indeed, the overwhelming majority of our hundreds of thousands of viewers say that they are wowed by the variety and quality of our 24/7 programming.

“Not surprisingly as a result, 3Ktv remains well ahead of all our initial projections, including in terms of critical viewership numbers and the advertising support that the station is getting from our much-valued business partners,” Machadu said.
“This fantastic performance is thanks to Zimbabweans who are making us great, as well as our diligent and hard-working staff across the JMS Group who are ensuring that 3Ktv remains at the top, as seen in the many accolades that the station has received. It would also be remiss of me not to thank the many production houses and artistes who have contributed so much to making 3Ktv the broadcasting sensation that it has become over the past 12 months.

“To say, therefore, that we are excited about what the future holds is an understatement, as we are confident that things can only get better for 3Ktv and the rest of the JMS Group’s media assets that include The Financial Gazette, Business Live, the iconic Daily News and the Daily News On Sunday,” Machadu added.

Reminiscing on the bid for 3Ktv’s licence and its subsequent unlikely launch — against all odds and expectations — he 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 we went on air that this 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.

Zweli Sibanda, Jester Media Services’ Managing Director

“Of course, none of this would have been possible without the support of all our key stakeholders, including our viewers and advertisers,” the buoyant Machadu 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 even 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.
newsdesk@fingaz.co.zw