BREAKING / SHOCKER. Tanzania bans East African country's radio or TV from broadcasting any foreign content without government 'permission'; forces all foreign journalists to get a government official like North Korea when covering a story.

by Thinus Ferreira

In a shocking move as it continues its crackdown on press freedom in Tanzania, the East African country on Monday banned all of the country's local TV and radio outlets from broadcasting any foreign content without explicit permission from the increasingly dictatorial Tanzanian government, and forcing foreign journalist to get and be accompanied by a government official when covering any news in the country - similar to the modus operandi used in North Korea.

The shocking regulations, published on Monday 10 August 2020 by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority under "The Electronic and Postal Communications" amendment, now prohibits any radio or TV media from broadcasting any foreign content without prior government approval.

Foreign correspondents and journalists from TV news channels or any other media will no longer be allowed to be in the country without a Tanzania government official accompanying them everywhere they go, similar to the North Korea playbook.

It's not clear how TV channels, TV news channels like CNN International, BBC World News or Sky News, or pay-TV operators like MultiChoice, MultiChoice Tanzania, China's StarTimes Tanzania, or Zuku will be able to work with or around the shocking regulations.

Pay-TV operators like MultiChoice, StarTimes and Zuku all carry collections of Tanzanian, African-based and international TV news channels.

It's not clear how Tanzania's government plans to regulate or approve the massive amount of foreign content broadcast daily on all of these channels, or if the pay-TV operators will have to black out these channels in the way that China's communist government has done from time to time with channels like CNN International.

It is already against the law since 17 July to post any message on social media or between people in Tanzania that "ridicule, abuse or harm the reputation, prestige or status of the United Republic of Tanzania" on social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Presidential elections are supposed to take place in Tanzania in October for the first time since the authoritarian John Magufuli became Tanzania's president in 2015.

Tanzania now ranks at a lowly 124th in the World Press Freedom Index by the Reporters without Borders as the country continues its clampdown on press freedom and personal freedom of expression.

MultiChoice Africa cuts DStv subscription across East Africa in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique after rival StarTimes lowers prices and as pay-TV consumers struggle in tough African economies.

MultiChoice Africa will be cutting monthly DStv and GOtv subscription fees across East Africa with DStv and GOtv consumers who will be seeing a decrease in the monthly payments in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and some Mozambique packages.

MultiChoice East Africa's decision to lower fees comes after rival StarTimes lowered prices in Kenya in April 2019 and as pay-TV consumers struggle in tough African economies.

After China's StarTimes Kenya restructured the tiered-offering of its pay-TV services in Africa's largest pay-TV market in the east of the African continent, MultiChoice is following 5 months later and is now also lowering fees.

In response to a media enquiry MultiChoice Africa confirmed to TVwithThinus that it's adjusting and lowering the monthly bill of DStv and GOtv subscribers in Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique and Tanzania.

MultiChoice will also implement a price decrease in Mozambique from September on the DStv Portuguese packages that include DStv Bue, DStv Grande+, DStv Grande and DStv Facil, although DStv Business as well as GOtv Plus and GOtv Lite subscription fees in Mozambique will increase.

In Malawi also in East Africa, MultiChoice Malawi will be increasing fees for the DStv Family and DStv Access packages only.

"Not all markets where MultiChoice Africa operates will have the same price changes as each country has different cost structures influenced by local dynamics such as inflation, content costs, foreign exchange rates, local taxes and overheads required for each business," says Reatile Tekateka, MultiChoice Africa's group executive head of corporate affairs, told TVwithThinus.

"These are taken into account when setting prices for DStv and GOtv packages. We've done a lot of research into what pay-TV costs in other parts of the world and we believe that our DStv and GOtv services offer good value for money in the countries in which we operate."

In Uganda, MultiChoice Uganda will be cutting monthly DStv subscription fees by up to a third (30%) for some packages where the price of DStv Premium, DStv Compact Plus, DStv Compact and DStv Family are all being reduced.

Kenya will see an even bigger decrease, ranging between 5% to up to almost 37%.

MultiChoice Kenya in a statement about DStv price reductions from September in that country said that "Our aim is to make great entertainment accessible to more consumers in Kenya and we believe this move will grant more of our customers access to the complete world of exciting entertainment channels at a lower price."

DStv Premium in Kenya will see a monthly price reduction of 5% on the most expensive monthly package, while DStv Compact Plus will decrease by 13.46%, DStv Compact will go down by 21% and DStv Family will see a whopping 36.84% decrease. DStv Access will fall by 5%.

With Africa's growing Ebola outbreak spreading, comes concern over the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards planned for Tanzania.

With the outbreak of the deadly Ebola diseas in Africa's growing and accelerating, comes concern over the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2014 planned to take place in Tanzania.

To be clear: There's been no reported and confirmed cases of Ebola in Tanzania; there's been no international travel restrictions placed on visiting or leaving Tanzania, and there's no fear about travelling to Tanzania.

Health authorities in Africa and internationally are however advising caution regarding international travel in and to Africa generally with travel advisories which had been issued.

What has however been happening is that confirmed cases of Ebola, the latest outbreak of which started in West Africa, have been inching closer and closer to the East Africa country of Tanzania and others.

Confirmed cases of Ebola have been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) - which is now only one country (Burundi) removed from Tanzania.

The CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards which alternates bi-annually between South Africa and another African country, is supposed to be taking place in Tanzania on Saturday 18 October in Dar Es Salaam.

Whether Africa's most prestigious competition rewarding excellence in journalism on the continent will continue if Ebola spreads to Tanzania is not clear, nor whether the organisers have started looking at an alternative country, or would perhaps hold it in South Africa again where its logistically easiest to mount the awards show production and the education conference.

On Thursday the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is actually accelerating and that more than 3 000 people have now been infected. The WHO said that 20 000 people might become ill before this Ebola outbreak subsides.

MultiChoice and CNN International both tell TV with Thinus the pan-African satellite pay-TV platform and the international TV news channel are "monitoring the situation so as to ensure plans are adopted effectively".