ASHLEY MOYO
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
LEADING independent national commercial television station, 3Ktv, will launch its 18th season today.
This comes as the channel, which recently celebrated its fourth anniversary of uninterrupted and hugely successful live broadcasting, continues to go from strength to strength, while setting the pace in the local audiovisual and entertainment industry.
Themed “Chilling with the Best”, the new season will offer the station’s multitudes of loyal viewers even more exciting local dramas and international productions. Owned by the privately held and integrated media group, Jester Media Services (JMS), the fast-growing station is introducing several fresh productions, in addition to retaining its most popular programmes. Speaking to the Daily News yesterday, 3Ktv head of programming, Lucia Kanyongo, said viewers should expect “a menu of exciting new programmes”.
“The refreshed line-up is designed to offer ‘The Very Best of Zimbabwe’ — as our famous motto goes — in terms of the quality of programming for all age groups.
“We are bringing exciting new shows along with more of the audience favourites. The new local dramas include Standwa Sami produced by Slimaz Pro, Botso that is produced by Jamukoko Media, and Water and Oil that is produced by Kadhura Media. Viewers can also look forward to the exciting Korean legal fantasy drama, Welcome 2 Life, alongside returning favourites such as Bundu, The Return of Gringo and Fidelis Season 2,” Kanyongo said.
On his part, JMS broadcasting division Managing Director, Zweli Sibanda, said 3Ktv remained Zimbabwe’s most watched and supported television station on satellite.
“We continue to benefit from key collaborations with local, regional and international partners for the benefit and enjoyment of our viewers. When JMS, the country’s only growing mainstream media group and Zimbabwe’s biggest independent media house by far, launched the nation’s first private television station on the 28th of February 2022, we never imagined then that we would witness the progress that we have made over the past four years.
“To say, therefore, that we are excited about what the future holds for 3Ktv and our entire group is an understatement,” Sibanda added.
“In the meantime, and to those businesses and organisations that are not yet fully au fait with 3Ktv, there are many advantages to joining hands with us and exposing your work and brands through the television station. Indeed, 3Ktv provides a powerful combination of mass reach, visual storytelling, unparalleled brand building capacity and remarkable affordability — allowing businesses to optimally create lasting impressions, connect emotionally with viewers and to achieve increased brand loyalty and sales. The station also gives our business partners and advertisers the ability to target specific audiences and demographics, which means that their messaging can be tailored to reach the audiences that are most interested in the showcased products and services,” Sibanda said further.
3Ktv, which was licensed in November 2020 after coming tops in a competitive and public bidding process, went on air amid palpable excitement at the end of February in 2022 — in the process becoming the first licensed private commercial station to operate in the country since television was first introduced in the then Southern Rhodesia in November 1960.
In November last year, JMS launched an online radio station, Radio 3000, as the country’s most dynamic and sustainable media group continued to lead the sector.
In launching the new station, JMS consolidated its multimedia operations, with its top brands now spanning television, radio, newspapers, websites, social media, mobile apps, events and strategic communications.
In addition to 3Ktv and Radio 3000, JMS also owns some of Zimbabwe’s biggest media outlets that include the Daily News — the country’s most influential newspaper — as well as its printing division, Printco; Jester Events; the online business newsletter Business Live; and The Financial Gazette, the nation’s number one business publication, among others.