Media in Malawi

Malawi's media landscape combines the public Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), private broadcasters, regional and community stations, newspapers, online-news organisations and social-media channels. MBC provides MBC Radio 1, MBC Radio 2, MBC TV and online or live services. Print and online outlets include Daily Times, The Nation, Weekend or Sunday Times and Malawi News, alongside 360-media organisations. The Media Council of Malawi is an independent, non-profit, non-political self-regulatory body that supports ethical standards, corrections, responses and complaints. MISA Malawi monitors media freedom and journalist safety, provides training and conducts advocacy, while the Ministry of Information and the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) have formal regulatory responsibilities. In the 2023 ICT survey, 42.4% of households had a radio and 57.2% of individuals reported using radio. National radio audience shares included MBC Radio 1 at 36.3%, ZBS at 30.5%, MBC Radio 2 at 26.7%, Times Radio at 12.2% and Radio Maria at 12.1%. Regional and community stations provide local information and participation through talk shows, live debates, call-in programmes and audience formats. Television access was lower: 10.9% of households had a television set and 22.2% of individuals reported television use, although 68.4% of households reported access to local television and 6.8% had pay television. Digital terrestrial television operates under the Communications (Digital Terrestrial Television Broadcasting) Regulations 2019; MDBNL distributes the public signal for licensed content providers, while MBC is a public content provider. Pay-TV services include GoTV and DStv, but 92.9% of households without a functioning television identified television costs as the main barrier. Internet access remains uneven. In 2023, 18.4% of households had internet access and 18.0% of individuals used the internet; 98.6% of internet access was through mobile broadband. Among households with streaming access, 2.5% used streaming services, with access at 11.1% in urban areas and 1% in rural areas. Reported platform shares among streaming households included YouTube at 19.4%, DStv Now at 7%, Netflix at 6.7%, Airtel TV at 3.4% and Amazon Prime at 3.1%. Cost and network limits make streaming less relevant than radio and broadcast television for much of the population. Social networks are nevertheless a major informal news and participation channel: 80.7% of internet users used them, 24.4% made internet calls, 15.5% read online and 3.3% posted on chat, blog or news sites. Only 0.8% reported online consultation or voting, so social-media visibility does not by itself prove journalistic verification or broad public participation. The Constitution of Malawi, sections 34 to 37, protects opinion, expression, press freedom and access to state information. Under the Access to Information Act 2017, a requester applies to an Information Officer; an Information Manual, reasons for refusal and review procedures apply. Internal review must be requested within 60 working days, followed by review by the Access to Information Commission where applicable. Exceptions include personal data, national security and protection of journalistic sources. The Communications Act 2016 gives MACRA responsibilities for licensing, consumer protection, access and frequency oversight. A content or broadcasting licence depends on Gazette publication, payment of fees and compliance with licence conditions; rollout periods can extend to six months for sound services and twelve months for television services. Spectrum licences generally run for one year. The Communications (Content) Regulations 2022 and Communications (Broadcasting) Regulations 2019 require independent and impartial information, education and entertainment, including content in English, Chichewa and other local languages. Local news should form the majority of news content, political coverage should be balanced and advertising must not mislead. Broadcasters must also plan advertising with children's interests in mind. The Copyright Act 2016 protects creative works; naming the source and author does not by itself remove copyright restrictions, and exceptions for current information, education or reporting events apply only under their legal conditions. Online publication and sharing can involve additional risks. The Electronic Transactions and Cyber Security Act 2016 protects communication freedom while allowing legal restrictions concerning child sexual abuse material, incitement to violence or hatred, human dignity, public order and national security. The Data Protection Act 2024 provides the legal basis for collecting, recording, publishing and sharing personal data. Intimate material cannot lawfully be shared without a valid legal basis or consent. Children aged 9 to 17 had internet access of 4.2% in the 2023 ICT survey; 23.2% reported online incidents as distressing or upsetting, and 42.2% had seen or received sexual messages, images or videos. The figure was 50.3% in rural areas and 35.9% in urban areas, with a mobile phone, computer or tablet identified as the source in 93.2% of cases. Only 46.1% told nobody, while 20.5% told a friend of the same age and 16.1% told a parent. Child Rights Reporting Guidelines from the Media Council of Malawi support privacy, non-identification and safer reporting. A complaint about a media or communications service should first go to the provider or broadcaster, with the complaint reference retained. Under the Content Regulations, the provider should respond within 14 days; unresolved or unsatisfactory complaints can then go to MACRA's Consumer Affairs Unit by hand, post, telephone, online form or email. Consumer protections include privacy, fair treatment, protection from misleading advertising and redress for service or quality complaints. Data-protection, cyber-security and copyright violations may require separate legal assessment. Data bundles can issue usage alerts at 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% and 100%; providers cannot apply out-of-bundle charges without opt-in, and unused data can roll over where the applicable offer permits it. Media participation includes community radio, call-in shows, live debates, consumer public dialogues, ICT youth forums, school visits and formal complaint channels. During elections, content licensees must treat parties, candidates and electoral issues equitably, fairly and impartially, and must respect a right of response. MACRA monitored election reporting from 27 June to 10 August 2025. Political influence, intimidation and online violence against journalists make source comparison necessary, especially when a claim appears only on a social network. National and local radio, MBC, community information, consumer information, election coverage and disaster information have very high practical relevance; press, online news, social media, privacy and youth safety remain highly relevant, while streaming has lower relevance because only 2.5% of households reported access.