Digital entity moves towards self-sustenance

Malawi Digital Broadcasting Network Limited (MDBNL) chief executive officer Dennis Chirwa says they are working towards becoming financially-independent to reduce government support and operate more effectively.

Speaking in Lilongwe yesterday when Minister of Information and Digitisation Moses Kunkuyu toured MDBNL offices, Chirwa said while government is providing financial support to the organisation, this may not be sustainable; hence, pushing for more revenue generation streams.

He said there are plans to facilitate the desired growth for the institution.

Said Chirwa: “We have plans to increase our viewership from 64 percent to 80 percent by October this year. We are also working on having some of our channels online so that people can watch on digital platforms.

“That way, we should be able to make more returns from traffic that may be on our digital platforms. Such funds will automatically add onto what we already are realising through other streams and help in our operations.”

The minister’s tour comes after MDBNL equipment was gutted by fire in January of 2020, incurring a K2 billion loss of equipment. 

In his remarks, Kunkuyu acknowledged that MDBNL is experiencing challenges that may require government intervention, especially on policy direction.

He, however, said the institution plays a critical role in ensuring that citizens are more informed.

“In terms of policy direction as well as financing, we as government will come in as soon as we can in order to help them operate ably,” said Kunkuyu.

MDBNL is a public entity mandated to provide signal distribution services to licensed broadcasters.

It was registered under the Companies Act in February 2014 but started its operations in July 2015.

There are 18 channels on the MDBNL platform, eight of which are already being tested on online streaming platforms.