In Zimbabwe, the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services recently announced new licensing fees for local digital television satellite broadcasting services.
BMA understands that these fees have been established through the Broadcasting Services (Licensing and Content) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (No. 7), which were enacted through Statutory Instrument 43 of 2024.
According to the new regulations, an application fee of US$2,900 (non-refundable) will be charged for initial and renewal fees per channel. Additionally, the basic license fee for ten years per channel has been set at US$20,300 per annum.
The Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe Board has approved the new regulations, adding a new broadcasting service category called “Local Digital Television Satellite Broadcasting Service.” This service is a local satellite television channel created by a licensee and provided exclusively on the platform for which the content distribution service licence was issued.
The new regulations state that no person will be allowed to provide a local digital television satellite broadcasting service without the specified license. The license will be valid for a maximum period concurrent with the period for which the relevant content distribution service license is valid.
These new regulations aim to regulate the local digital television satellite broadcasting services in Zimbabwe and ensure that they comply with the Broadcasting Services Act [Chapter 12:06].
