Department of Broadcasting

The Department of Broadcasting Services (DBS) is the principal government body overseeing state-run broadcast media in Botswana. It operates Botswana Television (BTV) and the Radio Botswana stations, with a remit to inform, educate and entertain the public and to disseminate information about government programmes and national development. Rather than a corporatised public broadcaster with its own board, DBS is a department of central government, and its broadcasting outlets are widely regarded as the principal vehicles for official communication in the country.

Media assets

Television: BTV1, BTV2, BTV News

Radio: Radio Botswana, Radio Botswana 2

Ownership and governance

DBS operates as a central-government department, historically located in the Media Division of the Office of the President, with its broadcasting outlets managed by government officials reporting to the Permanent Secretary rather than to an independent board. All key appointments are made by the government in accordance with the Public Service Act. As the State Media Monitor 2025 baseline records, proposals were once floated to establish an independent board for BTV, but these reforms never materialised, and departmental staff, as public servants, have historically been subject to reassignment across government, reinforcing the executive’s direct control over broadcasting operations.

The political context shifted markedly during the cycle. In the general election of October 2024, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) suffered a historic defeat, losing power for the first time since independence in 1966; the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) coalition won a majority in the National Assembly, which elected its leader Duma Boko as president. Boko took office on 1 November 2024, with Ndaba Gaolathe as Vice-President. The new President was critical of BTV’s news credibility, and in 2025 government statements indicated renewed consideration of reforming the state broadcaster into a more publicly governed entity, including the drafting of a cabinet memorandum and preparations to recruit a consultant to lead the transformation. As of May 2026, the broadcaster remained a government department, with no enacted reform yet establishing an independent public-service body.

Source of funding and budget

DBS is primarily financed by the state. As documented in the State Media Monitor 2025 baseline, the most recently disclosed figures identified a government allocation of BWP 236.7 million (approximately US$19.9 million) for the fiscal year ending March 2020, up from BWP 153.3 million in 2018; this state subsidy has historically covered more than three-quarters of the department’s operating budget. Although both BTV and Radio Botswana accept commercial advertising, such revenue contributes only marginally to the overall financial picture. No newer standalone DBS budget or audited financial statement was identified.

Editorial independence

DBS publicly presents its content as objective and professionally produced, but independent assessments, including academic studies and the Office of the Ombudsman, have found a pronounced pro-government orientation, and the department’s outlets have been widely regarded as closely aligned with the ruling establishment. Botswana lacks a legal framework enshrining the editorial independence of DBS, and its broadcasting services are not subject to the independent licensing and oversight framework BOCRA applies to private broadcasters; there is no independent watchdog scrutinising its editorial practices. A 2018 report by the Office of the Ombudsman found that 82% of BTV’s political coverage was devoted to the then-ruling BDP, with the remainder shared among all opposition parties. The 2024 change of government has created a new test of whether the state broadcaster will remain aligned with the incumbent executive or be transformed into an independent public-service broadcaster.

AI and digital policy

DBS distributes its television and radio output online and through social-media platforms alongside terrestrial broadcasting, and the government has signalled an interest in expanding digital access nationwide. The broader debate over transforming the state broadcaster into a publicly governed entity remained unresolved during the cycle.

No publicly available DBS policy on AI-generated content, synthetic-media disclosure, or content provenance frameworks such as C2PA was identified. Botswana’s media-regulatory framework does not currently include sector-specific provisions governing AI-generated audiovisual content, deepfakes, or synthetic-media authentication standards.

May 2026