| Overview : Media in Ethiopia consist of radio, television and the Internet, which remain largely under the control of the government, as well as private newspapers and magazines. The media sector in Ethiopia is quite underdeveloped facing multiple challenges. Currently, ten radio broadcast stations - eight FM and two shortwaves, are licensed to operate in the country. Satellite television has become very popular for many years, with people often watching foreign channels in English and Arabic due to the lack of choice in the Ethiopian Television industry. Starting in 2016 many new satellite television channels serving the Ethiopian market started broadcasting in the main local languages of Amharic, Oromiffa and Tigrigna. Print media, because of poverty levels, low literacy rates, and poor distribution outside of the capital and some other regional cities, serve only a small portion of the population. The paucity of distribution is mirrored by a scarcity of diversity in the official press. Since the end of the Ethiopian Civil War in 1991, private newspapers and magazines have started to appear, and the sector, despite the multiple challenges and the ups and downs, continues to grow. |
