BRANDS under the fast-growing Jester Media Services Group (JMS) continue to do very well in the market despite the country’s challenging economic environment.
This comes after the latest Zimbabwe All Media Products Survey (ZAMPS) once again showed that all of the group’s media offerings continue to command a strong following in the country.
The ZAMPS report for the first quarter of 2024 confirmed that Zimbabwe’s most influential newspaper, the Daily News, as well as the country’s number one business publication, The Financial Gazette, continue to gain readership — while national commercial television station, 3Ktv, also keeps leaping ahead.
The inimitable Daily News impressively grew its share of local daily readership again from 26 percent to a massive 40 percent — leaving its rivals gasping. The iconic Pink Paper also grew its readership notably — from three percent to 3,79 percent, while 3Ktv was once again confirmed as one of the most watched local channels on satellite, with its viewership now at two percent from one percent last year.
The free-to-air 3Ktv broadcasts on both DStv Channel 293 and the digital terrestrial platform, where authorities are slowly starting to roll out more of the required set top boxes. 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 in February last year since television was first introduced in the then Southern Rhodesia in November 1960.
JMS Group Editor-in-Chief, Guthrie Munyuki, thanked Zimbabweans for continuing to make the company’s media brands “great”. “We could never score these achievements without the active support of all Zimbabweans and our business partners. For this, we say thank you,” he said.
JMS has been receiving a lot of plaudits for its balanced news and current affairs reportage. Last year, the European Union Election Observer Mission (EU EOM) became one of the many organisations to vouch for the professional work of the Daily News, the Daily News On Sunday and 3Ktv.
In its final report on the 2023 elections, the EU EOM variously described the reportage of the Daily News, the Daily News On Sunday and 3Ktv on the polls as “egalitarian” and “neutral” — unlike competitor offerings which were found to have taken clear partisan positions.
“ANZ group owned Daily News and Daily News on Sunday were balanced in their political and election related coverage. “They gave nearly equal space to the leading contestants, and coverage included both praise and criticism across the board, facilitating readers access to varied views about the political realities of the country,” EU EOM noted.
“3Ktv channel devoted limited airtime to political and electoral topics, accounting for six percent of the relevant television broadcasts analysed by the mission. “Coverage of Zanu PF and President Mnangagwa was predominantly positive, whilst other political actors were covered more neutrally.
CCC received more praise than criticism on 3Ktv, but most of the coverage of the main opposition party was neutral. “The channel provided airtime to civil society organisations and independent analysts, expanding the views and opinions available to the electorate,” EU EOM added.
