Televisão de Moçambique (TVM) is Mozambique’s national public broadcaster, headquartered in Maputo, the country’s capital. It was launched in 1981 as Televisão Experimental de Moçambique, airing a limited schedule confined to Sundays. Following gradual expansion throughout the 1980s, the broadcaster was rebranded in 1991 as Televisão de Moçambique (TVM). Today, TVM operates a full national service and also runs TVM Internacional, a satellite channel targeting Mozambicans in the diaspora. TVM re‑established its signal in Portugal via the NÓS satellite platform (channel 196), expanding access for the Mozambican diaspora in Europe. This relaunch—initiated in April 2024—is still featured as an ongoing broadcast reach story, signaling the persistence of international ambitions.
Media assets
Television: TVM
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
TVM was established under Decree 19/1994 as a public media enterprise. Its governance structure is anchored in a Council of Administration composed of six members, including a chairperson who wields considerable decision-making power. The chair and other council members are appointed by the Council of Ministers, reinforcing the broadcaster’s institutional alignment with the executive branch.
Oversight of TVM falls under the remit of GABINFO (Gabinete de Informação), the Government Information Office, which is part of the Prime Minister’s Office. GABINFO not only supervises TVM’s strategic direction but also oversees media licensing across the country, thus concentrating regulatory and supervisory powers under a politically connected authority.
Source of funding and budget
TVM’s financial model is heavily dependent on state support. Over the past decade, the proportion of government subsidies in its total operating budget has risen steadily—from around 60% in the early 2010s to over 75% by 2025. The remaining share is derived from advertising sales and limited commercial activities.
In 2022, TVM reported a total budget of MZN 677 million (approx. US$ 10.5 million), with 66% funded by the state, according to data from IGEPE (Instituto de Gestão das Participações do Estado), the public body responsible for managing state-owned enterprises. The station ran a deficit of MZN 139 million that year, a marked improvement from the MZN 470 million shortfall recorded in 2021. In comparison, the total budget for 2021 was MZN 789 million (US$ 12.2 million), of which MZN 592 million came from the state.
More recent budgetary data for 2023–2024 have not been published at the time of writing, but local media reports suggest that TVM’s reliance on public funding continues to deepen, with operating costs increasingly outpacing advertising revenue. Salaries and basic operational expenses are almost entirely covered by the government allocation, highlighting the fragility of the broadcaster’s financial autonomy.
Editorial independence
Although Decree 19/1994 formally stipulates that public media should operate free from interference or external pressure, the reality on the ground tells a different story. TVM is widely perceived as an extension of the government’s communication apparatus, consistently favoring ruling party narratives and excluding dissenting or oppositional viewpoints.
According to Mozambican journalists and media analysts consulted for this report in August 2024 and February 2025, editorial staff often engage in self-censorship, anticipating backlash or disciplinary action from management. Senior editors are known to closely vet content to ensure alignment with government messaging, while reporters have limited freedom to pursue independent or critical journalism.
TVM does maintain an editorial statute, but the document is general in scope and lacks enforceable protections for editorial independence. No legal framework currently exists to guarantee the independence of its newsroom, and no independent oversight mechanism is in place to evaluate the station’s editorial practices or compliance with public interest standards.
June 2025