MTG launches new channel in Africa

Modern Times Group has launched a free-to-air channel in Tanzania.

The TV1 channel has launched on the East African country’s digital terrestrial network, which reaches almost 15 million people.

The general entertainment net will be programmed with a mix of local and international content for 15-to-49s and will, MTG said, be “slightly female-skewed”.

MTG rolled out the free-to-air Viasat1 channel in Ghana in 2008 and it is now the second-ranked channel in the country. Viasat pay channels are also distributed in Africa.

Jørgen Madsen Lindemann, president and CEO of MTG, said: “We are proud to launch our second African free-TV channel. We are committed to further expanding our presence not just in Tanzania but also in other fast-growing African countries and economies.”

Joseph Hundah, executive VP of the Group’s African operations, added: “TV1 is our second free-TV channel launch in Africa, and we have benefitted both from our experience of launching a channel in Ghana, and from our presence in Tanzania through our pay channels over the past few years.”