Licence Classifications

Commercial Broadcasting Service means a free-to-air (radio or television) broadcasting service operated for profit or as part of a profit-making enterprise which provides programmes intended to appeal to the general public and is capable of being received by commonly available equipment.

Community Broadcasting Service means a free-to-air (radio or television) broadcasting service not operated for profit or as part of a profit-making enterprise which:
(a) provides programmes
(i) for community purposes; and
(ii) is capable of being received by commonly available equipment; and
(b) does not broadcast programmes or advertisements on behalf of any political party.

Subscription Broadcasting Service includes a subscription satellite, subscription narrowcasting and subscription cable broadcasting service. These services are made available to the public on payment of a subscription fee and provide programmes intended to appeal to the general public.

Subscription Broadcasting Service includes a subscription satellite, subscription narrowcasting and subscription cable broadcasting service. These services are made available to the public on payment of a subscription fee and provide programmes intended to appeal to the general public.

Open Narrowcasting Service means a broadcasting service, including a diffusion service:
(a) which is not made available to persons on payment of any subscription fee; and
(b) the reception of which is limited by reason of:
(i) being targeted to any special interest group or not being otherwise intended to appeal to the general public; or
(ii) being intended only for reception in particular locations, including arenas or business premises; or
(iii) being provided during a limited period or to cover a special event; or is limited for some other reason.

Datacasting Service means an information service that delivers information, whether in the form of data, text, speeches, images or any other form, to persons having equipment appropriate for receiving that information, where the delivery of the service uses the broadcasting service bands.

Webcasting service means a computer-mediated broadcasting service.

Content Distribution Service means a service provided by a content distributor comprising content aggregated within and outside Zimbabwe that is made available in Zimbabwe with or without payment of a subscription fee and the reception is through satellite.

Video on Demand means a service through which video or audio content is delivered at the request of persons having equipment appropriate for receiving that service and is made available to persons with or without payment of subscription fee, whether such payment is periodical or otherwise, and whether or not such fee is charged on its own or forms part of a fee for multiple services including the on demand service.

Diffusion Service includes the dissemination:
(a) by means of any conducting medium of the whole or any part of writing, signs, signals, pictures, impulses or sounds broadcast by a broadcasting service; or
(b) of music, speech, pictures or other data for information, education or entertainment purposes by means of any conducting medium connected to two or more items of apparatus specifically designed for the reproduction of sound, pictures or data; or
(c) of teletext and vertical blanking intervals.

Signal Transmitting Station (Signal Carrier) means a person who provides the infrastructure and transmission capacity used by broadcasting service licensees to deliver their programmes to audiences. Signal carriers operate the transmitters, towers, and distribution networks that carry broadcasting signals but do not originate programming content.

National Broadcasting Service means a free-to-air community or commercial broadcasting service whose licence area is the whole of Zimbabwe.

Public Broadcaster means the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation referred to in section 3 of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation Act [Chapter 12:01] or any other broadcasting entity established by law which is wholly owned or controlled by the State.