TV Zimbo

TV Zimbo is the first private TV station in Angola. TV Zimbo is owned by the private media publisher Medianova.

The channel was unveiled to the public on December 12, 2008. Set to operate in an experimental phase of three months (later delayed and extended to six months) from 5pm to midnight, the channel was set to start on December 14 with support from the Portuguese channel TVI and a staff of about 310 people, some of them trained in Portugal, Brazil and South Africa. The channel was to broadcast in the UHF band terrestrially and also on DStv and Visabeira's TV Cabo.^[1] On launch day, the channel aimed to provide "credible" news to "a growing number of Angolans".^[2]

During its experimental stage, the channel was criticized for not being under the auspices of the then-new Press Law, which awaited a special law for the regulation of television signals in Angola.^[3]

TV Zimbo was founded on 14 December 2008 and started regular programming on 15 May 2009, in time for the 2009 elections and the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. Medianova had just launched a weekly newspaper, O Pais, and a radio station, Radio Mais (first private broadcaster in Angola).^[4] The channel was launched in partnership with TVI and the BBC. 310 employees, including an editorial staff of 22, were hired. Medianova invested $26 million in the launch of TV Zimbo.^[5] The name Zimbo originated from the first local currency used in Angola and almost the entire West African coast, a conch the size of a coffee bean, which appeared all along the coast of Angola.

Coinciding with the launch of its regular broadcasts on 15 May 2009, the channel's daily schedule grew from 7 hours to 18 (7am to 1am) and was officially added to the DStv platform (channel 573 at the time), in basic subscriptions within the country. Aiming to increase ratings, the channel added new content, such as the Angolan adaptation of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, interview program Cara a Cara, CSI and CSI: Miami, matches of Angolan teams in CAF championships and "criteriously selected" concerts and feature films.^[6]

It appeared later that TV Zimbo did not launch with the necessary legal regulations. In November 2010, following a financial turmoil at Medianova, 75% of TV Zimbo's employees, mostly Portuguese expatriates, were laid off and replaced by local technicians.^[7]

In mid-2011, Brazilian William Corrêa restructures TV Zimbo. Updated and purchased more modern equipment, adopted new procedures in journalism, commercials, programming, etc. Created marketing and animation departments.

In 2014, TV Zimbo migrated to HD TV.^[8]

During the presidential elections in August 2017, the Angolan Journalists' Union criticized TV Zimbo for favoring the MPLA's share of voice, giving 227 minutes to MPLA members, and 30 minutes to other parties between the 4th and the 14th of August 2017.^[9]

In July 2020, the Angolan Attorney General arrested the Media Nova, for being created with funds from Government of Angola and which was formerly Angolan president José Eduardo dos Santos and generals "Kopelipa" and "Dino". As consequence of this, it temporarily passed into state tutelage indefinitely.

TV Zimbo is broadcast by private subscription satellite TV broadcasters ZAP and DStv as well as by private cable provider TV Cabo Angola.

The international feed of the channel launched on September 5, 2024 on NOS in Portugal. All of the programming is produced in Angola, but there's still the chance of a program produced in Lisbon catering Angolans in Portugal.^[10]

• Televisão Pública de Angola
• Quem Quer Ser Milionário? (Angolan TV show)

• TV Zimbo Web site
• Corporate Web site of Medianova Group

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