Africa is to enter the era of rolling news this week when CNBC launches the first 24-hour information network dedicated to coverage of news and business on the continent.
CNBC Africa is to go on air from Friday from its main studios in Johannesburg and will also take feeds from bureaus in Lagos, Nairobi and London.
The new channel will have a heavy business bias and will feature live broadcasts of the opening and closing of key African markets, including the stock exchanges in Johannesburg, Lagos and Nairobi.
Zafar Siddiqi, CNBC Africa chairperson, said the launch of the new channel would be a milestone in African broadcasting.
“This is the first channel of its kind that caters to the information needs of the average viewer as well as to business and investment communities, by providing meaningful analysis behind the headlines, relating to how current events can impact our lives,” he said.
The United States-based CNBC already has networks operating in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
“The global CNBC network reaches 200-million households across the world,” Siddiqi added.
While rolling-news networks such as CNN, BBC World and al-Jazeera International are available to television viewers in Africa, none broadcast from studios in Africa.
African governments frequently complain about Western coverage of their continent, complaining that it is too often negative and overly-focused on natural disasters. — AFP