As one of the main players in the country’s satellite TV market, where it has been operating since 2011, Mstar-ZAP Mozambique has been consolidating its position in the market as a leading company in the distribution, promotion and creation of more and better national content in Portuguese.
In 2024, Mstar-ZAP launched new channels, grew and further strengthened its proximity to its customers by increasing its network of agents and shops in all the country’s provinces. For 2025, the plan is to expand the offer of national content and continue to invest in new technologies to meet the challenges of the market, while also speeding up the transition to IPTV. In this interview with E&M, Hélder Tembe, the company’s director in Mozambique, emphasises the fact that in 2024 the company reached its highest number of customers and gives some clues about the strategy for 2025.
How has ZAP adapted to the changes and challenges in the telecommunications sector, particularly the distribution of television products?
The challenges for ZAP at this level are no different from those of other satellite television providers. We have been following the development of the industry globally, and in Mozambique in particular, i.e. we have been paying attention to new technologies and ways of transmitting content. We don’t want to lag behind the development of the industry. Obviously, in Mozambique we still have a long way to go compared to the rest of the world, but despite this, we are the largest distributor of Portuguese-language television channels, and I would even say that almost 70 or 80 per cent of our channels are already broadcast in high definition. In other words, we’ve been making a huge effort to broadcast better content with higher quality. I would say that this is a differentiating factor for ZAP. We have several goals to achieve and we’re not yet where we’d like to be, not for lack of desire, but because we’re also in a market that presents challenges that, with the hard work and perseverance of our entire team, we’re overcoming day after day.
In this sense, what services or products were most sought after by customers in 2024?
We have a range of television packages, such as mini, mini+, max and premium. Our most popular product, in this case, is the mini, which is the most economical. This is the package that has the most demand and the most subscribers, for this very reason. We believe that although it’s a mini package, from our point of view it’s a very well put together offer, as we have more than 45 channels available, some national channels, sport, films and children’s content. It’s very well structured and it’s the best seller on our platform. Obviously, as I said, we have other packages with other types of value. But the mini is framed in a way that strikes a balance between the quality of the service on offer and the possibilities of most Mozambican families, in other words, it’s the most affordable, but at the same time it offers a number of channels and content that are appealing.
What were the main investments in terms of inclusive expansion and content distribution in 2024?
Our distribution network is already very well structured. Throughout the country we have 14 of our own shops, from Maputo to Lichinga, in Niassa. And we have around 350 active agents throughout the country. Throughout this year, what we’ve done, in terms of offer, is to add or introduce some new channels to the grid, such as Z-Sports, which was introduced a few months ago. This is something new we’re bringing to the market and we’re not stopping there! There will be others that we can announce in the coming months. I’m sure that in 2025 we’ll not only have new investments in terms of infrastructure, but also, without going into too much detail because, as you know, ‘secrecy is the lifeblood of the business’, the addition of new channels to the grid.

“Our distribution network is already very well structured.We have 14 of our own shops throughout the country, from Maputo to Lichinga, in Niassa”
I realise that, for ZAP, innovation and proximity to the customer are very important. Is that right?
The way we constantly improve our offer, at various levels, is firstly through constant interaction with the customer and trying to be ever closer. To give you an idea, our customer service line, the call centre, is awarded almost every year as one of the best in its field. This doesn’t happen by chance, it’s the customers themselves who give us this feedback. When they call our helpline with any concern, they are well looked after and their problems are resolved. In other words, we endeavour to be close to our customers at this level, and in the service that is ZAP’s core, to provide content and products of unquestionable quality.
And what other innovations are planned for 2025 in the areas of content and market positioning?
As I said, we can’t reveal all the secrets because we’d be giving away privileged information to a competitive and attentive market, but in general, for 2025, we intend to introduce more national content, in other words, to have more national channels on our platform and in our offer. I can also tell you that it will be content that covers all age groups. So, I can say that 2025 will be a promising year!
How has Mstar-ZAP contributed to the development of the audiovisual and content production sector in the country? Are there any plans to strengthen this position in 2025?
As you know, we don’t have our own national channel. When it comes to developing local content, it would be more effective if we had one, but if we didn’t, we work with national channels that are our partners, such as STV, TV Sucesso or TVM. Through these partners, we promote and incentivise the production of national content through sponsorship, offers and various promotions. We are very active as sponsors in the area of national sport, in basketball, football, swimming and tennis. It’s our way of contributing, not only to the development of the various sports, but also to the promotion of national content. Perhaps what would be more convenient for us would be to just introduce the Portuguese and Spanish leagues and leave it at that. But we have the strategic positioning of being present as a driving force behind the growth and development of national content production, at various levels.

What are the company’s strategies for promoting digital inclusion?
Through the regulator itself, the National Communications Institute of Mozambique (INCM), we contribute to a fund called the Universal Access Service Fund (FSAU). This fund advocates the dissemination and distribution of television content in public squares, in the districts, in other words, to people who have less access to television. Through our contribution to the regulator, we allow people who are in a distant district, where there may not be a ZAP agent or shop, to obviously have a ZAP signal in a public square or establishment so that they can watch our content. Of course, apart from this FSAU issue, as I said at the beginning, we have agents all over the country and, through them, we also want to mass-distribute our services and products. As the country develops, the electricity grid expands and ZAP follows this movement at district level. If a person already has energy in their home, they’ll buy a radio, then they’ll buy a television… And what we want is for them to be able to choose a ZAP decoder when they decide to buy these devices. So this is how we are trying to expand our customer network, obviously following the pace of the country’s own development and thus making our humble contribution to digital inclusion in Mozambique which, as we know, is one of our society’s medium and long-term social goals.
“The way to improve our interaction with the customer is to try to be ever closer to them.To give you an idea, our customer service line is honoured every year”
How do you see the future of the audiovisual sector, especially considering the growth of illegal IPTV?
I see this as a path of no return. In Mozambique we’ve already started down this road. Unfortunately, we have the proliferation of pirated decoders, an issue that directly affects our business. This is an activity that is not yet being regulated, and we understand that this will be the path that the sector is following. Given the size and position that ZAP occupies in this and other markets, we cannot and will not be oblivious to this trend that the industry is following globally. We are obviously paying attention and considering various options to minimise the impact of this activity.
Are there any concerns that ZAP has already referred to the authorities on this matter? How are you dealing with it?
As I said, it’s not just ZAP that’s concerned about this issue, but all the operators together. We’ve been in talks with the regulator itself, which is also attentive and concerned about this issue, and I believe it wants to resolve or at least mitigate this proliferation of pirate boxes that is affecting the sector. This is not, therefore, a ZAP initiative on its own, we are not taking up this cause in isolation, it is a concern for everyone, including the regulator itself. The INCM has shown that it is attentive to this issue, and I believe that soon we will all have a common platform of understanding where we can mitigate this phenomenon. Eliminating it completely, I’d say, will be difficult, but at least mitigating this concern about piracy, which has a huge impact on our business and ultimately harms the customer themselves.
What’s the final balance for 2024?
It’s been a positive year for the operation so far, in a challenging context, for various reasons that we all know. It’s been a year of some difficulties, because we realise that life is difficult for everyone. In general, Mozambican families unfortunately have fewer resources and their purchasing power, for macroeconomic reasons, some of them external, is limited. And we know from experience in this and other markets that when there is a need to adjust the family budget, often the easiest thing to cut is television, and we realise this because we understand people’s difficulties. But even so, on behalf of myself and the entire ZAP team, I have to thank our customers for their trust and loyalty. And so much so that this year we reached the highest number of active customers on our platform! To return some of the love they’ve given us by choosing ZAP as their service provider, we’ve been rewarding some of our customers. Just this year, we offered 16 trips to Turkey to several of them. And last year, in 2023, we gave away a zero kilometre car in a prize draw. We have also been committed to our role of social responsibility, because as a company we have a social obligation in which we and our entire team are involved, in a series of actions aligned through the ZAP Lives Project, in which we finance, among other things, donations of material to old people’s homes, training in maternal and child health and the offer of self-employment kits and other educational materials to various institutions. And we will continue to do so.
Text: Pedro Cativelos – Photo: Mariano Silva & iStockphoto