Brandon Josphat
POLITICAL EDITOR
THE new chief executive officer of the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe(BAZ), Matthias Chakanyuka, will embark on an ambitious programme to expand services to underserved communities.
Speaking to the Daily News — the country’s most influential newspaper — Chakanyuka confirmed yesterday that his immediate priority would be to widen access to broadcasting services by licensing different categories of broadcasters, while also ensuring that the country’s cultural values and national identity remained protected.
“My mandate as the substantive chief executive officer is to ensure that broadcasting services are available in underserved areas and communities that currently do not receive broadcasting services.
“We, therefore, intend to expand access by licensing different categories of broadcasting services.
“We also want to ensure that Zimbabweans enjoy a diverse range of broadcasting services.
“However, while promoting diversity, we must also safeguard our cultural values and national identity because broadcasting plays a critical role in preserving and reflecting who we are as Zimbabweans,” Chakanyuka added.
He also said decisions on licensing additional television stations would be guided by market conditions to ensure the long-term sustainability of the broadcasting industry.
“We will assess the market to determine its capacity to accommodate new television players.
“If market conditions are favourable, we will consider licensing additional television channels. If they are not, we will hold back.
“We do not want to license broadcasters that will ultimately be forced to shut down because they are not commercially viable.
“There is a need to assess the size of the advertising market and the broader economic environment to determine whether there is room for more players.
“Television broadcasting is a capital-intensive business, and we do not want investors entering a market that requires significant capital outlay without a realistic prospect of returns,” Chakanyuka said further.
On Zimbabwe’s migration to digital television, he said BAZ was working to increase the uptake of set-top boxes to broaden access to digital broadcasting services.
“We procured about 60 000 set-top boxes to improve access to digital television services such as 3Ktv and others. To date, around 15 000 units remain available on the market.
“At the same time, some members of the public are already accessing digital television services through television sets with built-in digital receivers which do not require set-top boxes.
“However, we remain concerned about the low uptake of set-top boxes.
“We will engage the government to explore measures that can help improve adoption, particularly because the pricing and distribution mechanisms were approved by the government.
“We, therefore, need to make recommendations that will support greater uptake and ensure more Zimbabweans can access digital television services,” Chakanyuka said.
The new BAZ head honcho joined the authority as an engineer in June 2004, before steadily rising through the ranks to become technical director, and later serving as acting chief executive officer.
Before joining the broadcasting regulator, he worked as a maintenance engineer at ZBC.
Chakanyuka also plays an active role in the work of the International Telecommunication Union, participating in its study groups and regional planning conferences on digital satellite and terrestrial broadcasting.
Zimbabwe initiated its digital broadcasting migration more than a decade ago, to comply with international telecommunication mandates.
However, funding constraints and currency volatility have continually delayed the process.
Amid all this, authorities are escalating their revamp of the country’s ease of doing reforms.
In the latest such reforms, the broadcasting services industry has welcomed much needed reviews of regulatory fees that were weighing down the sector.
This comes after the grounded and pragmatic new minister of Information, Zhemu Soda, promised in March this year that the government would review the fees to enhance the industry’s competitiveness.
In this regard, BAZ announced last month that it had slashed regulatory fees by an average of 50 percent, following the government’s approval of a new policy framework to cut the sector’s operational costs.
“The Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe wishes to inform broadcasters, investors, stakeholders, and the general public that the government has approved a review of regulatory fees for broadcasting services through Statutory Instrument 103 of 2026.
“The review, undertaken under the government’s Ease of Doing Business agenda, has resulted in an average 50 percent reduction in broadcasting licensing and regulatory fees across various categories of broadcasting services,” BAZ said.
It added that the fee cuts were designed to lower operational costs for broadcasters, while encouraging innovation and sectoral growth.
“The fee reductions are intended to promote investment, lower the cost of doing business, support the sustainability of broadcasters, and encourage growth and innovation within Zimbabwe’s broadcasting sector.
“The revised fees apply to commercial radio and television broadcasters, community and campus radio stations, webcasting services, subscription broadcasting services, signal carriers, and other broadcasting-related services.
“The new fee structure takes effect immediately upon publication of Statutory Instrument 103 of 2026. Licensees may pay the prescribed fees in local currency at the prevailing market exchange rate,” BAZ said further.