TV channels Ethiopia

Ethiopian television is anchored by a state giant and a pioneering private network. Broadcasting here reflects a country of many languages, with public channels splitting their airtime between national news, entertainment and regional-language programming.

EBC: The State Broadcaster

The EBC - the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, rebranded as ETV - is the government-owned public service broadcaster and the country's oldest and largest, headquartered in Addis Ababa. Its main service carries national news, while EBC Entertainment handles series, music and lighter programming, and EBC Languages distributes airtime among Ethiopia's regional languages, from Amharic and Oromo to Tigrinya and Somali.

EBS: The Private Pioneer

EBS TV - the Ethiopian Broadcasting Service - is the country's first private television channel, launched in 2008. Free-to-air and broadcasting mostly in Amharic, it was built with strong ties to the Ethiopian diaspora in the United States and carries news, talk and entertainment for viewers at home and abroad.

Together, the state corporation and the private pioneer draw the shape of Ethiopian broadcasting: public, multilingual at home, and closely tied to its diaspora.