ADVERTISING & MEDIA

Freedom of the press and other media is enshrined in Article 21 (1) (a) of the Namibian Constitution and the country has a diverse media landscape served by public, commercial and community media houses that operate in an environment that is largely free of statutory control.

BROADCASTING

The state-owned Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) dominates the radio broadcasting sector with nine language services in addition to National FM, which broadcasts in English. The NBC’s radio services accounted for 56% of Namibia’s radio listeners in 2022.

The television broadcasting sector is also dominated by the NBC, which has the most extensive reach with its three television channels: NBC 1 (news and current affairs), NBC 2 (international news) and NBC 3 (movies).

The NBC was allocated close to N$312 million for its operational budget and N$80 million for its development budget for the 2024/25 financial year. Provision was also made for writing off the corporation’s legacy tax liabilities of N$33 million.

Private commercial radio broadcast services are provided by over 20 radio stations, while 12 community radio stations broadcast a diversity of content, including educational and religious programmes, to remote communities.

MultiChoice Namibia’s digital satellite subscription service, DStv, offers six packages, while its digital terrestrial subscription service, GOtv also offers six packages. There are also two private local television stations: OneAfrica Television, a subsidiary of Future Media, and Network Television (NTV) which forms part of Network Hub, formerly Namibia Media Holdings (NMH).

PRINT MEDIA

Print editions of Namibian newspapers continue to show great resilience despite the shift of readers to digital media, rising distribution costs of vast networks spanning the country, the increased cost of newsprint, decreasing advertising revenue and declining circulation.

Readers have a choice of print editions of two privately owned national English dailies (The Namibian and the Namibian Sun), one Afrikaans daily (Republikein) and one German-language newspaper (Allgemeine Zeitung). There are also two privately owned weekly English newspapers: Confidénte, a tabloid newspaper, and the Namib Times, a community newspaper published for the coastal regions.

These newspapers also have a strong presence on digital platforms.

Informanté, the Windhoek Observer, the Namibia Economist, The Villager, The Brief and the Namibia Daily News are available on a variety of digital platforms.

The state-owned New Era is an English daily published by the New Era Publication Corporation (NEPC). The NEPC received an amount of N$27.5 million in the 2024/25 budget and had its tax liabilities of N$344 million written off. The Namibia Press Agency (NAMPA) received N$27.7 million.

MAGAZINES

Although there have been many printed and online startup magazines, few have stood the test of time. Currently, there are only two printed magazines: Agriforum, which is published monthly and caters for the farming community, and Travel Namibia (previously Travel News Namibia), a travel and lifestyle magazine published quarterly. There are also a few annual publications and local online magazines. A wide variety of South African magazines are sold in retail outlets.

MEDIA FREEDOM

According to the 2024 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, Namibia lost its number one ranking for Africa’s freest press to Mauritania, which took the top spot in Africa with a ranking of 33.

The country’s global ranking fell by 12 positions from number 22 in 2023 to number 34. Seychelles is ranked 37th, South Africa 38th and Cape Verde occupies the 41st position.

The report points out that journalists are free to work without interference from the authorities, but that the government “maintains strict control over the appointment of the boards of directors of certain publications and, consequently, over their content.”

The report also states that Namibia’s economic environment is more favourable to state-owned media, and adds, “Advertising revenue is often channelled to pro-government media, a policy that undermines independent reporting. The print media are facing increasing financial difficulties and many have switched to a digital format.”

FUTURE MEDIA AND TRIBEFIRE STUDIOS MERGER

Future Media and TribeFire Studios announced the successful merger of the two media companies in March 2024. In terms of the merger OneAfrica and 99FM became subsidiaries of Future Media Holdings’ existing brands, which include Radiowave, Fresh FM, Nova 103.5 and Omulunga Radio.

The completion of the merger follows approval of the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) in July 2023 and from the Namibian Competition Commission (NaCC) in December 2023.

Future Media’s chief executive officer, Gary Stroebel, said the merger aims to streamline operations, expand the group’s reach, and provide a wider range of products and services to clients and audiences. “We are committed to maintaining our dedication to trustworthy local media content and services,” said Stroebel.

Future Media’s executive director, Stefan Hugo, said, “We are excited about the opportunities that this merger presents for our teams and stakeholders. Together, we will leverage our collective strengths to innovate and create impactful content that resonates with our audiences across various platforms.”

NAMIBIA MEDIA HOLDINGS

Namibia Media Holdings (NMH) announced in April 2024 that it has rebranded and will be known as Network Media Hub, while the company’s printing division, Newsprint Namibia, has been rebranded to Print Media Hub. The company now consist of Network Intellectual Assets, Network Data Hub, Network Sports Hub, Network Television, Network Administrative Services and Network Innovation Hub.

In another development, Stimulus Investments Limited announced in August 2023 that its wholly owned subsidiary Desert Trade Investments (Pty) Ltd (DTI), has agreed to sell its 79.95% shareholding in NMH and its 80% interest in Newsprint Namibia to Emeraldsand Properties (Pty) Ltd. The shareholders of Emeraldsand will include various members of the NMH and Newsprint management teams.

Network Media Hub settled N$12 million of the purchase price to DTI during the 2023/24 financial year, while the outstanding amount will be paid over the next three financial years.

2023 JOURNALISM AWARDS

The Editors’ Forum of Namibia (EFN) hosted the 2023 Journalism Awards in October 2023 after the event could not be held in 2021 and 2022. A total of 169 entries were received from 59 journalists for seven categories. Lazarus Amukeshe of The Namibian newspaper won the Journalist of the Year award, while journalists of The Namibian won three of the categories and shared another category with a journalist of Kosmos 94.1 radio station. Two other categories were won by a journalist of Republikein and a freelancer.

The late President Hage Geingob, who attended the ceremony as guest of honour, said press freedom was one of the goals fought for by the Namibian people and confirmed that media freedom would be guaranteed in Namibia for as long as he is the president.

ADVERTISING

The advertising industry operates in an environment free of any statutory body or voluntary watchdog. Several advertising agencies provide a full range of creative and professional services, including traditional marketing, digital marketing and outdoor advertising.

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