# Mass media in Burundi

Mass media in Burundi mainly consists of radio, television, and printed resources, with a project underway to improve internet access to the country. Most mass media in Burundi is controlled by the government, and access to international mass media is limited.

## Radio

As of 30 June 2021, Burundi registers the following radio stations (Telecommunications Authority, 2021):

### Nationally owned radio stations

* RADIO BUNTU IJWI RY’IMPFUVYI N’ABAPFAKAZI
* RADIO » IJWI RY’ IMBABAZI
* RADIO BENAA FM
* RADIO CCIB FM+
* RADIO AGAKIZA
* RADIO COLOMBE FM
* RADIO CULTURE
* RADIO DESTINY FM
* RADIO EAGLE SPORT FM
* RADIO FREQUENCE MENYA
* RADIO IJWI RY’ UMUKENYEZI
* RADIO ISANGANIRO
* RADIO IZERE FM
* RADIO MARIA BDI
* RADIO REMA FM
* RADIO SCOLAIRE NDERAGAKURA FM
* RADIO SPECIALE HUMURIZA FM
* RADIO STAR FM

### Internationally owned radio stations

* RFI
* RADIO HIT AFRIQUE
* RADIO ROYAL MEDIA.
The addresses and frequency assigned to those stations are summarized in the table below (Communications Commission, 2021):
| N | Name | Frequency | Station | Since | Key Contact | Address |
| 1 | RTNB | 92.9 MHz | Bujumbura | 1959 | Jonas Ndikumurimyi | |
| 2 | CCIB FM+ | 99.4 MHz | Bujumbura | 1993 | J. Jacques Ntamagara | |
| 3 | CULTURE | 88.2 MHz | Bujumbura | 1999 | Salomee Ndayishimiye | www.radioculture.org |
| 4 | NDERAGAKURA | 87.9 MHz | Bujumbura | 2000 | Stany Nahayo | www.radionderagakura.org |
| 5 | IVYIZIGIRO | 90.9 MHz | Bujumbura | 2000 | Onesime Habarugira | |
| 6 | ISANGANIRO | 89.7 MHz | Bujumbura | 2002 | Sylvere Ntakarutimana | www.isanganiro.org |
| 7 | MARIA | 98.4 MHz | Bujumbura | 2003 | Abbe Desire Bireha | |

## Television

Television in Burundi was introduced in 1984, with coverage having national reach in 1992. As of 2004 there was still only one television service, the government-owned Télévision Nationale du Burundi.
The television stations registered in 2021 are the following (Telecommunications Authority):
* TELEVISION NATIONALE DU BURUNDI
* HERITAGE TV
* REMA TV
* TELEVISION ARGOS
* TELEVISION SALAMA
* CITIZEN TV (satellite)
* TELEVISION NUMERIQUE DENOMMEE « BEST ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION (BE TV) »
* TELEVISION « MASHARIKI TV »
* TELEVISION BURUNDI BWIZA

### Main channels

| Name | Owner | Type | Launched |
| RTNB | Government of Burundi | State-owned | 1975 |
| Télé Renaissance | Bernard Henri Levy | Private-owned | 2008 |
| Héritage TV | ? | Private-owned | 2008 |
| TV Salama | ? | Private-owned | 2008 |
| BeTV | ? | Private | 2017 |
| MASHARIKI TV |
There are also three main tele distributors:
* TELE -10
* STARTIMES
* AZAM MÉDIA.
Tele 10 started operations in 1997. By the mid-2000s it offered a limited package of French channels (Canal+ Horizons, TF6, LCI, TV5, France 2, etc.) as well as English-language channels from the DStv service.

## Internet

Burundi has launched a $25 million investment project in a fibre-optic cable network to widen access to broadband Internet and cut costs.

## Print

Newspapers include:
* Arc-en-Ciel
* Burundi Chrétien
* Burundi Tribune
* Le Renouveau du Burundi
Iwacu, founded abroad in 1993, began publishing in Burundi as a weekly in 2008. It quickly became the most-circulated newspaper in Burundi and as of 2016 is the only privately-owned one.