Lesotho National Broadcasting Service (LNBS)

The Lesotho National Broadcasting Service (LNBS) is the principal state-run broadcasting entity of the Kingdom of Lesotho, operating Radio Lesotho, Ultimate Radio and Lesotho Television (LTV). LTV began transmission in 1988 and reaches most of the lowland regions, while Ultimate Radio was launched in 2006 under a commercial funding model intended to generate revenue for the supervising ministry. Radio Lesotho serves as the national radio broadcaster, disseminating news and government messaging across the country. LNBS operates as a department within the ministry responsible for communications rather than as an autonomous public-service broadcaster.

Media assets

Television: Lesotho TV

Radio: Radio Lesotho, Ultimate Radio

Ownership and governance

LNBS is fully owned and operated by the Government of Lesotho through the Ministry of Information, Communications, Science, Technology and Innovation, from which it receives direct policy direction. As documented in the State Media Monitor 2025 baseline, the service is administered by a Director General who reports to the Deputy Principal Secretary of the ministry, with no independent board or governing body overseeing its operations; its leadership structure is embedded within the government bureaucracy. The communications portfolio is held by Nthati Moorosi, who has served as minister since November 2022 and is a member of the Revolution for Prosperity (RFP), the party of Prime Minister Sam Matekane, who took office in October 2022. Lesotho is a constitutional monarchy in which King Letsie III is the ceremonial head of state and the prime minister is head of government.

Source of funding and budget

LNBS relies almost entirely on annual government allocations, with limited supplementary income from advertising. As recorded in the State Media Monitor 2025 baseline, the service had a total budget of LSL 61.4 million (about US$3.9 million) in 2019/2020, split between LSL 19.7 million for radio and LSL 41.6 million for television, followed by LSL 51.16 million in 2022/2023 and LSL 52.2 million in 2023/2024.

For the 2025/2026 financial year, the supervising ministry presented a recurrent budget estimate of LSL 264,695,313 before the Committee of Supply in the National Assembly, as reported by the Lesotho News Agency; this allocation covers the ministry’s full information, communications, science, technology and innovation portfolio rather than LNBS alone. The most significant development of the cycle is the planned construction of a new national Broadcasting Complex, which Lesotho government reporting states will be jointly funded by the Government of Lesotho and the People’s Republic of China. Separately, Lesotho media and agency reporting placed LSL 251,650,503 in the 2025/2026 allocation connected to broadcasting and infrastructure priorities, intended to provide modern studios and digital facilities, modernise the Lesotho Television studios, and improve radio transmission clarity across the country, though the exact share dedicated specifically to the complex is not separately broken out in that reporting. The minister has indicated that the ministry will identify a site and undertake an inspection process ahead of construction.

Editorial independence

State Media Monitor baseline review indicates that LNBS programming and news agendas are shaped by government priorities, with limited editorial insulation from the supervising ministry. Government influence extends to editorial guidelines and staff appointments, constraining pluralism around politically sensitive matters such as elections, corruption and public protests. Regional media-rights organisations, including MISA Lesotho, and local press such as the Sunday Express have criticised LNBS’s government-aligned coverage.

There is no domestic law guaranteeing the editorial independence of LNBS. Broadcast complaints may be handled through dispute-resolution mechanisms linked to the Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA), including the Broadcasting Disputes Resolution Panel, whose proximity to state interests has been raised as a concern. A coalition of journalists’ unions and civil-society actors has called for an independent media council with statutory authority over public media, a proposal to which the government had not responded as of the 2025 baseline. Press freedom in Lesotho is fragile: Reporters Without Borders notes that the state media remain largely controlled by the government and politicians, that the country has no daily newspaper, and that abuses against journalists are frequent — including the May 2023 killing of radio journalist Ralikonelo “Leqhashasha” Joki outside the Tšenolo FM studio in Maseru.

AI and digital policy

LNBS distributes its radio and television output online through streaming and social-media platforms alongside terrestrial broadcasting, and the planned Broadcasting Complex is presented by the authorities as a means of modernising production facilities and digital infrastructure. The supervising ministry has also signalled wider investment in internet connectivity and broadcasting modernisation.

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

May 2026