TV Zimbo


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

History

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. 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. 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.
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.
In July 2014, TV Zimbo migrated to HD TV.
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.

Distribution

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