It was just the other day when we were talking about 3Ktv and how it’s apparently beating out South African channels in Zimbabwe. That is great to see. Like the channel or not, some people are clearly getting their entertainment itch scratched there.
In the discussion, some in our community felt ZTN was better than 3Ktv. What cannot be disputed apparently is that both are better than ZTV. I have no dog in that race, I’m just glad that there are more outlets for Zimbabwean content popping up.
You will remember though that when both 3Ktv and ZTN were licensed, four other applicants got licences too. One of those applicants was Rusununguko Media (Pvt) Ltd and their NRTV station. NRTV stands for Nkululeko Rusununguko Television.
Rusununguko Media is said to be owned by the Zimbabwe National Army. Does that have any bearing on the kind of content that will be aired on NRTV? I would imagine if there’s any political commentary on there it will lean a certain way.
However, politics is a bore-fest anyway and so if the other content is solid, the channel should be a welcome addition to the landscape. We are used to tuning out most political commentary in any case.
NRTV will be available on DStv and so if you still rock the satellite dish, you can check it out today. The channel promises everything from current affairs, drama, kids’ shows, entertainment and so on. So, don’t be scared away by the army ownership, you just might find your new favourite local show on there. There will also be some international content as well as you would expect.
Of the 6 that were licensed in 2020, three are now on air and all three are on DStv. I did not see this coming, at all. I welcome it though.
Update: NRTV not yet on DSTV. Said NRTV:
NRTV would like to address numerous media and social media posts, including one made erroneously on one of our own social media handles alluding to the fact that NRTV launched on MultiChoice platform DSTV on the 1′ of February 2023.
We wish to state categorically that NRTV is not yet on DSTV. This is an ongoing discussion as there are many stages to the process which NRTV must comply with.
We realize that this miscommunication has caused some confusion and wish to offer our sincerest apologies to all our stakeholders for this. We wish to reiterate that there was no malice intended in the post but a case of human error.
We continue to look forward to making a huge contribution in Zimbabwe’s broadcast arena as we take you “Beyond Your Imagination”.
General Manager
Mr A.T. Matambanadzo-techzim