03 Oct 2022

Botswana Television (Btv) has launched a 24-hour news channel along with two others while the country also migrated from analogue to digital transmission.

The 24-hour channel is dedicated to news and current affairs programming with occasional live coverage of presidential engagements. 

Programming is in four blocks of four hours each with the first running from 6am to 10am. 

It comprises the morning show, Bosele, characterised by interviews, breakfast meetings, live cross overs, traffic, weather, sport and business news.

The second segment,  The Agenda, runs from 10am to 2pm and includes discussions of selected stories from previous bulletins where other angles are explored by carefully chosen guests. 

Viewers might also get the opportunity to call in and voice their views and opinions.

The 2pm to 6pm segment carries current affairs programmes between bulletins, both fresh and repeats. 

The channel’s prime slot runs from 6pm to 10pm and carries selected programmes with top government messaging. 

Brand new Btv1 and Btv2, are entertainment and information and educational channels respectively.

Speaking during the launch in Gaborone Sunday, Minister for State President, Mr Kabo Morwaeng said migration from analogue to digital broadcasting was fulfilment of government’s obligation to the Geneva 6 Agreement.

He described the development as a milestone towards the realisation of a knowledge-based economy. 

“This is a testimony of the advances in broadcasting technology and our commitment as a government to leverage on it for the benefit of our country,” said Mr Morwaeng.

Government, he said,  had decided to drive and unlock the potential of the creative sector to create jobs and improve livelihoods. 

The minister said the development would engender  growth of local businesses across the digital broadcasting value chain and ensure that more dividends accrued to the communication services.

“With digital broadcasting, we expect interactive content that will engage our viewers more efficiently. This will also enable us to do data-casting to deliver targeted useful information to our viewers,” said Mr Morwaeng.

He said the new channels would enable the public to access more entertainment as well as public services and information.

Minister Morwaeng  acknowledged Japanese government assistance in the endeavour.

 “Through the government of Japan, we were able to roll out 46 digital terrestrial transmitters which enabled us to confidently switch off the analogue transmitters as we are doing today with as little or no disruption as possible,” he said. Ends