Isango Star

What Isango Star does

Isango Star is a privately held Rwandan media and broadcasting company headquartered at Nyarugenge Market in Kigali, operating since approximately 2013 (per company history; firmographic data lists 2009). It runs a portfolio of consumer-facing media properties anchored by a free-to-access radio station at 91.5 FM, a television platform branded ISANGOTV, and a multilingual digital news site (isangostar.rw) publishing in Kinyarwanda, English, and French. Core products include live radio broadcasting, video/TV news and entertainment programming, and a categorized newsroom covering international news (MU Mahanga), national news (MU Rwanda), politics, health, economy, technology, sports (Imikino — including UEFA Champions League, PSG, Arsenal, and Basketball Africa League coverage), and entertainment (Imyidagaduro, including IMA Awards music industry reporting). Beyond owned-and-operated channels, Isango Star offers media production services and supply to external clients.

The underlying technology is a conventional broadcast and CMS publishing stack — radio transmission at 91.5 FM, television distribution via the ISANGOTV subdomain, and a web content management system powering the trilingual news site. There is no proprietary platform, API, or SDK disclosed, and no app presence; mobile reach is via mobile web and the Twitter account (@isangostar). The headcount is approximately 55, with named contact roles for Finance, Administration, and Chief Editor indicating a small, newsroom-centric operating structure.

The business model is free-to-access consumer media — no subscription, paywall, or licensing fees are charged to listeners, viewers, or readers. Revenue mechanics are not disclosed in the source data; the absence of subscription pricing and the public-facing nature of the service strongly imply advertising, sponsorship, or production-services revenue, but no specific revenue figure, advertiser relationships, or funding rounds are recorded. The company is privately held with no disclosed investors, parent entity, or stock listing, and operates exclusively in the Rwandan domestic market within the East Africa region.

Name

Isango Star

Legal name

Isango Star

Website

https://isangostar.rw

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Isango Star is a privately held Rwandan broadcaster operating 91.5 FM radio, ISANGOTV television, and a trilingual digital news site serving the general Rwandan public with news, sports, and entertainment across Kinyarwanda, English, and French.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Radio and Television Broadcasting

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833)

akta.pro primary industry

Local/Regional News Channels (MPABAIAD)

Keywords

• Radio broadcasting services
• Television broadcasting services
• News broadcasting media
• Local media production
• Multilingual news content

Headquarters

HQ city

Kigali

HQ country

Rwanda

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Isango Star is a Rwandan media and broadcasting company that operates radio broadcasting at 91.5 FM and a television service called ISANGOTV. It distributes news, sports, entertainment, politics, health, economy, and technology content to Rwandan audiences in three languages (Kinyarwanda, English, French) through FM radio, TV, and a digital news website with live streaming capabilities.

Product overview

Isango Star is a traditional media and broadcasting company in Rwanda operating at 91.5 FM. The company offers a unified portfolio of radio and television broadcasting services, comprehensive news coverage across multiple categories (national/international news, politics, health, economy, technology, sports, entertainment), and production services. The core offering consists of live radio broadcasting, TV services (ISANGOTV), and digital news distribution through their website, serving Rwandan audiences with Kinyarwanda, English, and French language content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Isango Star Radio (91.5 FM) A live radio broadcasting service operating at 91.5 FM frequency in Rwanda, delivering news, entertainment, sports, and political content to Rwandan listeners, with live streaming on the Isango Star website.
• ISANGOTV Television broadcasting service providing video news coverage and entertainment programming to Rwandan audiences.
• News Broadcasting (Amakuru) Comprehensive news coverage across categories including international news (MU Mahanga), Rwanda national news (MU Rwanda), politics, health, economy, and technology, published on the Isango Star digital platform.
• Sports Coverage (Imikino) Sports news and match coverage including football (PSG, Arsenal, UEFA Champions League), basketball (APR BBC in BAL), volleyball (APR VC), and local Rwanda league coverage.
• Entertainment Coverage (Imyidagaduro) Entertainment content including music awards coverage (IMA Awards / Isango Music Awards), celebrity news, and music industry reporting for Rwandan audiences.
• Production Services Media production services for creating and producing broadcast content, likely for external clients such as advertisers, agencies, and organizations seeking audio/video production in Rwanda.
• Supply Services Supply services offered by Isango Star, described as related to media equipment or content distribution support.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The New Times (Rwanda): Leading English-language Rwandan news outlet covering national politics, business, sports, and culture. Directly comparable as a domestic Rwandan news media competing for the same audience and advertiser base.
• Rwanda Broadcasting Agency: Rwanda's national public broadcaster, operating radio and TV channels across the country. Directly comparable as the dominant domestic broadcast competitor serving the same Rwandan audience with news, politics, sports, and entertainment.

Regional players

• Royal Media Services: Kenyan private broadcaster operating radio and TV stations across multiple languages. Comparable as a private African multi-platform broadcaster with similar scale, ad-supported model, and operational structure.
• Nation Media Group: East Africa's largest media company operating newspapers, TV, and radio across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda. Comparable as a multi-platform regional broadcaster serving overlapping East African audiences and competing for the same advertiser pool.

Broad incumbents

• Voice of America (VOA) Africa: US government-funded international broadcaster with a dedicated Africa division producing radio, TV, and digital content in multiple African languages. Comparable as an established multilingual broadcaster serving African audiences.
• Radio France Internationale (RFI): French state-funded international radio broadcaster with extensive African coverage in French and African languages. Comparable as a multilingual (including French) international radio competitor across Africa.
• BBC Africa: Global broadcaster's Africa service producing multilingual news and current affairs across radio, TV, and digital. Comparable as a high-budget multilingual African news competitor with established brand and Kinyarwanda/French/English reach.
• DW (Deutsche Welle) Africa: German international broadcaster with a dedicated Africa service in English, French, and Kiswahili. Comparable as a multilingual international broadcaster competing for African audiences and advertisers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/isangostar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/isango-star

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 Isango Star