Azam TV

What Azam TV does

Azam TV is a pan-African pay-television operator headquartered in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and operated by Azam Media Ltd, a subsidiary of the diversified Bakhresa Group of Companies. Founded in 2013 and employing 501-1,000 staff, the company delivers subscription television services across six East and Southern African markets: Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, with regional offices in each. Its core technology is a Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and satellite pay-TV broadcasting platform accessed through the proprietary AzamTV Box set-top decoder, complemented by the Azam Max streaming sub-brand for web and mobile consumption.

The service is structured around four subscription tiers — Saadani (TZS 10,000, 30+ channels), Mikumi (TZS 19,000, 35+ channels), Ngorongoro (TZS 28,000, 40+ channels), and Serengeti (TZS 35,000, 50+ channels) — covering sports, movies, entertainment, kids, news, and documentary content. Azam TV has built a distinctive content position around East African football, holding rights to the NBC Premier League (Tanzania), KFK League (Kenya), and major international leagues (Bundesliga, French League, Saudi Pro League, Serie A) under the Azam Sports brand, alongside African film productions on Sinema Zetu.

The business model combines recurring subscription revenue with one-time hardware sales of the AzamTV Box. Distribution relies on an extensive authorized dealer network across all six operating countries, supplemented by the DirectPay online payment platform and mobile applications on Google Play and the Apple App Store. Azam TV serves mass-market consumers, particularly families and sports enthusiasts, competing primarily against MultiChoice's DStv and GOtv and StarTimes, with a stated price advantage at the entry tier and a differentiated feature of retaining local channel access even after subscription expiry.

Name

Azam TV

Legal name

Azam Media Ltd

Website

https://azamtv.co.tz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Azam TV is a Tanzania-headquartered pay-television operator owned by the Bakhresa Group, delivering DTT and satellite subscription TV to households across Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe through the AzamTV Box decoder and Azam Max streaming platform, with tiered pricing from TZS 10,000 monthly.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pay Television Broadcasting

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162), Television Broadcasting Stations (516120)

SIC

Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841)

akta.pro primary industry

Live TV Streaming (vMVPD/IPTV OTT) (MPACAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aggregator/Platform Channels & Marketplace Bundles (Channel Stores, Super-Aggregators) (MPABAHAM), Pay-TV Value-Added Services (DVR, VOD, TV Everywhere, Apps) (MPABAGAG)

Keywords

• Satellite pay television
• Digital terrestrial broadcasting
• Subscription TV packages
• Set-top box hardware
• Sports content broadcasting

Headquarters

HQ city

Dar Es Salaam

HQ country

Tanzania

HQ region

Africa

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription TV Packages: Recurring subscription revenue from multiple package tiers offering varying channel counts (30+ to 50+) at price points from TZS 10,000 to 35,000. Customers subscribe to access sports, movies, entertainment, kids, news, and documentary content.
2. AzamTV Box Hardware Sales: One-time hardware sales of AzamTV decoder/box devices required to receive the pay TV service. Sold through dealers and company-owned channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Azam TV is a subscription-based pay-television service delivered via Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and satellite broadcasting across six African countries. Customers subscribe to tiered packages (Saadani, Mikumi, Ngorongoro, Serengeti) priced in Tanzanian Shillings that include 30+ to 50+ channels spanning sports, movies, entertainment, kids, news, and documentaries, accessed through a proprietary AzamTV Box decoder.

Product overview

Azam TV is a pan-African pay television service operated by Azam Media Ltd, part of the Bakhresa Group of Companies. The offering consists of the AzamTV Box as the core DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television) hardware product that delivers the service, complemented by multiple channel brands including Azam Sports (sports content), Sinema Zetu (movie content), and Azam ONE/Azam TWO (general entertainment). Content is distributed through subscription packages of varying tiers: SAADANI (entry-level, 10,000 for 30+ channels), MIKUMI (19,000 for 35+ channels), NGORONGORO (28,000 for 40+ channels), and SERENGETI (premium, 35,000 for 50+ channels). The Azam Max streaming sub-brand extends access to web and mobile platforms, while the sports division covers major leagues including the NBC Premier League Tanzania, Kenyan FKF League, Bundesliga, French League, Saudi Pro League, Serie A, and FIFA World Cup. The service operates across six African markets: Tanzania (headquarters), Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Azam Max: Streaming platform for Azam TV content
• Azam Sports

Products and services

• AzamTV Box

Quantifiable outcome

• Gaining market share in Kenya while competitors lost 4.5M subscribers in 2025

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bakhresa Group of Companiesparent_companyOthersAzam TV is part of the Bakhresa Group of Companies, a diversified conglomerate in Tanzania with businesses including Azam Ice Cream, Azam Fruit Juice, Omar Packaging, Azam Inland Container Depot, Kilimanjaro Fast Ferries, Azam Marine, Azam Football Club, AzamPesa, and Bagamoyo Sugar.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MultiChoice Group: Operates DStv and GOtv, the dominant satellite and terrestrial pay-TV services across sub-Saharan Africa. Directly competes with Azam TV across all six markets with deeper content libraries and a longer operating history.
• StarTimes: Chinese-backed pay-TV operator with significant presence in Africa, including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Direct competitor in low-cost digital terrestrial and satellite pay-TV segments serving similar mass-market consumers.
• Showmax: MultiChoice's streaming service for sub-Saharan Africa offering live TV, sports, and originals. Directly comparable to Azam Max as a mobile-first streaming alternative targeting similar African consumers.
• Zuku (Wananchi Group): East African pay-TV and broadband provider (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda) using DTH and fiber. Direct competitor in the same geographies with comparable subscription tiers and target segments.

Broad incumbents

• Canal+: French pay-TV giant that acquired a controlling stake in MultiChoice, expanding its African footprint. Comparable as a major international pay-TV operator with premium content and sport rights competing for the same audiences.
• Canal+ Afrique: Canal+'s dedicated African pay-TV operations offering francophone-focused content and Ligue 1 rights. Comparable as a regional pay-TV operator with premium sports rights competing in adjacent African markets.
• Sling TV: US-based virtual MVPD offering live TV streaming over the internet. Comparable as a live TV streaming service targeting price-sensitive consumers, similar in business model to Azam Max.
• YouTube TV: Google's vMVPD service delivering live TV channels over broadband in the US. Demonstrates a comparable streaming-first pay-TV business model relevant to Azam Max's strategic direction.

Others

• Netflix: Global subscription video-on-demand service with a growing African subscriber base. Competes for entertainment time and wallet share, especially for streaming-only households where Azam Max is positioned.
• Amazon Prime Video: Global subscription streaming service with live sports rights (NFL, Premier League). Increasingly relevant competitor in Africa as it expands local content and sports licensing targeting similar consumers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/azamtvtz
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/azamtv1
• Facebookfacebook.com/azamtvtz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/azam-media-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/azamtvtz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Azam TV