Kana TV
File:Kana Television.jpg | |
Country | Ethiopia |
---|---|
Network | Television network |
Programming | |
Picture format | 1080i 16:9, 4:3 (HDTV) Downscaled to 576i for the SDTV feed |
Ownership | |
Owner | Moby Media Group |
History | |
Launched | April 2016 |
Kana TV (Amharic: ቃና ቲቪ) is an Ethiopian satellite television channel owned by Afghan largest media company Moby Media Group. It was co-founded by three Ethiopian entrepreneurs in combination with Moby Media Group and was officially launched in April 2016.[1] Kana TV produces voice-over translation and provides dubbing foreign languages to Amharic. The channel has specialized at serial dramas especially Turkish television dramas, which gain overall exceeding rate in its market share, becoming the most popular television channel in Ethiopia.[2]
Kana TV is broadcast throughout the region by satellite Nilesat. The channel operates solely in the Amharic language with part of the content being locally produced and the other half being dubbed foreign content.[1] The source of its popularity is the multitude dubbed foreign TV dramas it broadcasts. Among the most famous are Turkish dramas such as Kuzey Güney (North South) and Kara Para Aşk (Black Money Love)[3] It has offices located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with plans to expand its studios to make room for locally produced content.[4]
Ethiopian TV market
Due to the relative infancy of the television market in Ethiopia at the time of its launch, Kana had to commission its own studies on television viewership in the country. These studies revealed that a majority of viewers were watching foreign language content with channels like MBC 1 and Al Jazeera being some of the most popular.[1] The success of its dubbed content was largely built on this fact that there was a large appetite for foreign content in Ethiopia that was waiting to be satisfied.[3]
In March 2017, Kana released the first independently conducted all encompassing TV market study after launching its channel. According to this study Kana TV had gained a 34% market share and 8 of the top 10 highest rated prime time shows were on Kana TV (as of March 2017).[5]
Programming
Local content
- #Time - a locally produced entertainment show featuring the latest music and popular trends. Hosted by presenter Danayit Mekbebe.[6]
- #Mindin - a local production talk show that present informative current content - local and international news, trends etc. Hosted by presenters Mikias, Kaleab and Melat.[6]
- Kana News - A locally produced short daily news segment airing weekdays during breaks in regular programming.
Dubbed content
Foreign dramas/soap operas
- Kara Para Aşk / ጥቁር ፍቅር "Tikur Fikir" (Black Love) - Broadcast from April - Nov. 2016
- Kuzey Güney / ኩዚ ጉኒ "Kuzi Guni"- Broadcast from June 2016 - Feb. 2017
- Fatmagül'ün Suçu Ne?/ ቅጣት "Kitat" (Punishment) - Broadcast from Nov. 2016 - July 2017
- Pasión y poder / የራስ ምርኮኛ "Yeras Mirkogna"- Broadcast from Feb - Aug. 2017
- Saraswatichandra/ ዛራና ቻንድራ - Broadcast from April 2016 - Jan. 2017
- O'Hayati Benim/ የተቀማ ህይወት "Yetekema Hiwot" - Broadcast from Feb. 2017 – May 2019
- Paramparça/ ሽንቁር ልቦች "Shinkur Liboch" - Broadcast from July 2017 – June 2018
Others
- Kana Passport/National Geographic - a weekly documentary program covering such topics as geography, archaeology and natural sciences.[6]
Music
- Hop - offers back to back music from the region and around the world.[6]
Criticism of programming
The channel has drawn criticism from conservative commentators who argue that over-consumption of foreign soap operas dubbed in Amharic will corrupt Ethiopian culture.[3] This led to different associations composed of concerned actors, directors, & writers to formally petitioned the government to shut down the channel prior to it being launched. While appeals to shut down the network were ignored, the Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority (EBA) did change its policies to mandate that most of the content of television channels in Ethiopia be locally produced content.[7]
References
- ^ a b c Hamid, Habiba. "Ethiopia: Wild South". Newsweek ME. Newsweek. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
- ^ "Ethiopia's addiction to Kana TV". African Business Magazine. 8 May 2017.
- ^ a b c "Turkish TV series continue to grow in popularity in Ethiopia". DailySabah. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
- ^ "New television channels in Ethiopia may threaten state control". The Economist. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
- ^ "Media Industry News". Kana TV Newsletter. March 20, 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Shows". Kana Television.
- ^ "Various Local Associations demand the Closure of KANA TV". Dire Tube.