DStv to drop ZTN Prime on 30 September

DStv has announced that the Zimpapers Television Network Prime (ZTN Prime) will be removed from its platform on 30 September 2026.

The channel, a television and digital network owned by Zimpapers, has been broadcasting on DStv Channel 294 since 24 May 2022. It will be discontinued at 23:59 CAT on 30 September.

“Dear DStv customer, please be advised that ZTN Prime will no longer be available from 30 September 2026 at 23:59 CAT,” DStv said in a notice sent to Zimbabwean account holders on Thursday.

Launched with pomp and fanfare in May 2022, ZTN Prime brought fresh competition to Zimbabwe’s broadcast sector after 42 years of a single station, ZBC TV.

It was licensed alongside Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe’s 3Ktv, Bulawayo-based KeYona TV and the Zimbabwe National Army’s NRTV.

Its removal is not unexpected. Zimpapers board chairperson Doreen Sibanda had already indicated, without being explicit, that the group planned to pull the station off traditional television and move it to internet-based platforms.

The move forms part of a wider restructuring at Zimpapers that has put 154 jobs on the line. It includes migrating ZTN from a traditional linear model to a digital over-the-top (OTT) platform and realigning the Newspapers Division to a digital and mobile-first operating structure.

“Certain positions have become redundant within the revised operating model, and the Company has commenced a retrenchment process in compliance with applicable labour laws and established human resources procedures,” Sibanda said.

More: NewZimbabwe.com