Zimbabwe announces digital TV satellite broadcasting services licence fees

The Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services has announced licence fees for local digital television satellite broadcasting services.

The fees have been effected through Statutory Instrument 43 of 2024, Broadcasting Services (Licensing and Content) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (No. 7).

The application fee initial/renewal fee (per channel) has been set at US$2 900 (non-refundable) while the basic license fee for ten years (per channel) has been set at US$20 300 per annum. Reads the S.I.

    IT is hereby notified that the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services has, in terms of section 46(6) of the Broadcasting Services Act [Chapter 12:06], approved the following regulations made by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe Board:-

1. These regulations may be cited as the Broadcasting Services (Licensing and Content) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (No. 7).

2. The principal regulations are hereby amended by the insertion of the following section after section 12C-

"Additional categories of broadcasting service"

12D. (1) For purposes of this section- "local digital television satellite broadcasting service" means a local satellite television channel created by a content distribution service licensee and provided exclusively on the platform for which the content distribution service licence was issued.

(2) In addition to the classes of broadcasting service that a licensee may be permitted to provide in terms of section 7 of the Act, a broadcasting licence may authorise the holder thereof to provide a Local Digital Television Satellite Broadcasting Service.

(3) Application for the licence specified under subsection (2) above shall be made in accordance with the provisions of section 10 of the Act as read with section 4 of the principal regulations as if it were a licence for a broadcasting service specified in the Act.

(4) A licence specified under subsection (2) above shall be valid for a maximum period concurrent with the period for which the relevant content distribution service licence is valid.

(5) No person shall be allowed to provide a local digital television satellite broadcasting service without the licence specified in subsection (2) above.".

3. The principal regulations are amended in the Second Schedule after, "Free to air national television broadcasting service" by insertion of the following-

"Local Digital Television Satellite Broadcasting Service"

(a) Application Fee Initial/renewal fee (per channel) . . . . USD$2 900,00 (non-refundable)

(b) Basic License Fee for ten years (per channel)… USD$20 300,00, per annum".