TV channels Burundi

Burundi's television is built around the national broadcaster, which carries the country's public life from Bujumbura and Gitega to the provinces. Radio remains the main source of information for most Burundians, and the small television field has grown around one public institution.

The national broadcaster

RTNB TV is the television service of the Radio Télévision Nationale du Burundi, the national broadcaster - the screen on which the country watches its national news, its public ceremonies and its days of celebration. The RTNB's roots are in radio, which began broadcasting in 1960, when Burundi was still part of Belgian-administered Ruanda-Urundi; television followed only in 1984, launched with the support of French cooperation. The broadcaster answers to the Ministry of Communication and goes out in Kirundi, French, Swahili and English. Burundi began switching from analogue to digital terrestrial television in December 2016, starting in Bujumbura, and completed the migration a year later. Over the decades the national channel has carried home-grown favourites as well as news: the comedy series Ninde has been part of Burundian television since its earliest years.

The entertainment side

RTNB Divertissement is the entertainment companion of the national service, carrying the lighter side of Burundian programming. Where the main channel leads with news and public affairs, the second service leans on music, culture and general entertainment, giving the public broadcaster a second screen on the digital network.

Private channels and pay television

Around the public pair, a modest private sector has taken shape, with channels such as Heritage TV, Rema TV, Télévision Salama, Mashariki TV, Burundi Bwiza and Best Entertainment Television on the air, and Citizen TV carried by satellite. Pay-TV bouquets reach subscribers through distributors including Télé 10, StarTimes and Azam, mostly in Bujumbura and the larger towns, and Radio France Internationale holds an FM frequency in the country. The 2015 political crisis hit the media hard - several independent broadcasters were attacked and many journalists fled - and state-run outlets still dominate the airwaves.

Together they serve one of Africa's most densely populated countries, where a single national signal reaches viewers in every province.