INDEPENDENT national commercial television station, 3Ktv, continues to scale new heights after the country’s most watched channel on satellite inked an exclusive deal with the Premier Netball League (PNL) yesterday.
The historic deal — which comes as netball has never been more popular in the country, and as the senior national netball team continues to cause waves — represents yet another feather in the cap for 3Ktv, Zimbabwe’s fastest growing television station.
The exclusive deal will start this coming weekend with a pre-season tournament at the Aquatic Complex in Chitungwiza.
PNL is an independent league which was successfully registered with the Zimbabwe Netball Association in 2021. It has 18 teams.
Speaking in Harare yesterday, during the signing ceremony of the deal, the managing director of Jester Media Services’ broadcasting division, Zweli Sibanda, thanked the PNL for its vote of confidence in 3Ktv — adding that the exclusive partnership fully captured the popularity of both the sport of netball and the station among Zimbabweans.
“This deal with the PNL is part of our broader corporate social responsibility (CSR) and commitment to the Zimbabwean community as the Jester Media Services Group.
“All our valued 3Ktv viewers and other key stakeholders will remember that we similarly had a most successful and exclusive deal with a major Latin American broadcaster during the Qatar Fifa World Cup.
“We are committed to continuing to play a key role in promoting sports, because sports are beneficial for people’s mental and physical well-being, beyond their obvious entertainment value,” Sibanda said.
PNL chairperson, Sarudzai Chapo, said the partnership with 3Ktv was a game changer which would go a long way in promoting the sport, while attracting new fans and corporates to the game.
“I am short of words to fully capture my excitement and joy as a result of this landmark and game-changing partnership. I really can’t thank 3Ktv enough.
“This marks the first ever such broadcasting deal in women’s sport in Zimbabwe. PNL is a baby when we compare it with other sports brands in Zimbabwe. This will do wonders for netball,” she said.
All this comes after 3Ktv’s much-followed news and current affairs programme, Vantage, was last month named 2022’s “Outstanding Television programme”.
To top it all, Vantage host — Guthrie Munyuki, who is also Jester Media Services’ Group Editor-in-Chief — was adjudged a ‘Distinguished Editor’ for his leadership role at 3Ktv’s iconic sister media operation, the Daily News.
According to the latest report of the non-partisan Zimbabwe All Media Products Survey (ZAMPS) for the first six months of 2022, which was finalised when 3Ktv was just three months old, the privately-owned station was confirmed as the most watched Zimbabwean channel on satellite.
In addition, the history-making, free-to-air channel continues to make significant strides on the digital terrestrial broadcasting front, as authorities slowly start to roll out the required set-top boxes.
The ZAMPS report also showed that 3Ktv was more popular overall in Zimbabwe than South African channels, which include those under the stable of the giant South African Broadcasting Corporation.
3Ktv was licensed in November 2020, after coming tops in a competitive and public bidding process. It went on to become the first licensed private commercial station to operate in the country since television was first introduced in then Southern Rhodesia in November 1960.
