Angola seeks Chinese help for digital TV
January 4, 2017
By Chris Forrester
The south-west African country of Angola is seeking financial help from China in order to convert its TV transmissions from analogue to digital.
Angola’s 26 million people have a somewhat limited choice of terrestrial channels (four in total, including an evangelical Christian channel). TPA1 and TPA2 are government stations while TV Zimbo, launched in 2008, is privately owned by media publishing group Medianova.
TV Zimbo is also carried by satellite TV operators ZAP and DStv.
A Presidential Dispatch, published as part of a New Year message, said that the authorised private company permitted to handle to migration from analogue to digital TV (TVDA Serviços de Transmissão e Difusão) is hard-pressed for cash and only some 16 percent of its capital demands for the conversion task has been received.
The total bill is said to be around $386 million (€370m). The government is now seeking fresh investments from private entities – and this could include the Chinese, who are enthusiastic about financing digital television throughout Africa.
Angola is still committed to start digital transmissions this year.