Country | Morocco |
---|---|
Broadcast area | Africa, Europe and Middle East |
Headquarters | Tangier Free Zone, Morocco |
Programming | |
Language(s) | Arabic French |
Picture format | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to 16:9 576i for the SDTV feed) |
History | |
Launched | 1 December 2006 |
Former names | Medi 1 Sat (2006–2010) |
Links | |
Website | www |
Availability | |
Terrestrial | |
DTT (Morocco) | Channel 7 (SD) |
Streaming media | |
medi1tv.com | Watch live |
Medi 1 TV (formerly Medi 1 Sat) is a Moroccan free-to-air television channel launched in 2006. The channel broadcasts news content in Arabic and French.
Medi 1 TV was first launched on 1 December 2006 under the name Medi 1 Sat, broadcasting exclusively on satellite, and was co-jointly owned by public Moroccan and French investors. [1] The channel's launch schedule consisted mainly of news programming focusing on Morocco and Maghreb-related affairs.
In 2009, the channel became entirely Moroccan-owned following the acquisition of the previously French-owned shares by the Caisse de dépôt et de gestion (CDG). [2] Abbas Azzouzi was appointed by the Board of Directors as the new CEO in 2010, succeeding its founder Pierre Casalta, who had previously directed its sister network Medi1 Radio. [3] [1]
On 30 October 2010, Medi 1 Sat was rebranded Medi 1 TV, becoming a generalist channel in addition to entering the terrestrial Moroccan TV market. Plans were for Medi 1 TV to cover 74% of national territory by the end of November. [4]
In 2014, the channel obtained a new broadcasting license after two Emirati media firms (named as Nekst Investments and Steeds Medias) acquired shares within its capital. [1] [5]
On 1 February 2016, Medi 1 TV reverted its programming to rolling news and current affairs. It also split into two separate channels the same year, with one targeting Francophone African audiences. [3] In June 2016, Hassan Khiyar, the concurrent director of Medi1 Radio, was appointed to also serve as the CEO of Medi 1 TV. This came as the Board of Directors sought to "change the management model and governance of MEDI1TV with a repositioning strategic as a continuous and permanent news channel, published in partnership with Radio Méditerranée Internationale [Medi1 Radio] as part of a unique project with a national, regional and international vocation." [6]
In 2019, Medi 1 TV launched an exclusively Arabic-language channel as part of its network lineup. [7]
In 2021, the Moroccan public broadcaster SNRT announced a forthcoming plan to acquire Medi 1 TV, as well as its sister channel Medi1 Radio and 2M, with a plan to reorganize the channels within a public holding group by 2024. [8] The CDG, via its subsidiary CDG Invest, subsequently bought out the entirety of Medi 1 TV for 105 million MAD (US$11.9 million), with plans to transfer ownership to SNRT once it meets legal requirements. [9]
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