NBS TV
A Ugandan television broadcaster best known for political news, current affairs, live coverage, and public-interest programming.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
NBS TV, formally known as NBS Television, is a Ugandan television broadcaster headquartered in Kampala and operated by Next Media, the media group associated with Kin Kariisa. The station received its broadcasting licence and began official transmissions on June 16, 2008. It initially operated from a small two-bedroom office in Kampala’s UAP Building on Kimathi Avenue, later moving to Media Plaza in Lower Kololo, where it operated with a single transmitter. In 2020, it moved to the former WBS TV site, which became Next Media Park on Naguru Summit View Road. The channel developed from a relatively small broadcaster into one of Uganda’s most prominent television news brands. Ownership under Kin Kariisa was consolidated by 2014, and in 2017 NBS became the flagship television property of Next Media Group. The wider group has included or operated brands such as Sanyuka TV, Salam TV, Next Radio, Nile Post, and Next Com. This group structure has enabled NBS to combine television journalism with radio, digital publishing, social media, commercial production, and live-event coverage. NBS positions itself as “Uganda’s Political Command Centre.” Its core identity is built around news, political analysis, current affairs, investigative reporting, and live national events. Key programmes have included the Luganda-language evening bulletin NBS Amasengejje, the English-language NBS Live at 9, the political discussion programme Frontline, the Luganda current-affairs programme Barometer Akasameeme, and the weekday youth and entertainment programme After 5. NBS Youth Voice has also targeted younger audiences, while other programming has addressed business, sports, lifestyle, and public affairs. The broadcaster has used repeated rebranding, investment in digital workflows, regional reporting bureaus, and partnerships for live event broadcasting to expand its reach. Its coverage of major political and national events, together with its multilingual programming, has helped it serve audiences across Uganda rather than only Kampala. The station also gained visibility through live coverage of Pope Francis’s 2015 visit to Uganda, an event later associated with the development of higher standards for large-scale broadcast production in the country. NBS operates within a competitive Ugandan television market that includes other national broadcasters and specialist channels. Its sister channel Sanyuka TV has historically been associated with sports and entertainment, including live rights for the StarTimes Uganda Premier League. NBS itself remains primarily identified with news and current affairs. A 2024 audience survey cited in reference material placed NBS first among Ugandan television stations, with a reported 44 percent national viewership share; the figure should be understood as survey-specific rather than as a universal measure of all television consumption. Beyond programming, NBS and Next Media have sponsored public-awareness and corporate-social-responsibility initiatives concerning plastic pollution, recycling, financial and digital literacy, tree planting, and misinformation. These activities extend the brand from a conventional broadcaster into a broader public-information platform. The organization has also received industry recognition, including being named Most Admired Ugandan Media Brand by Brand Africa in 2023 according to the supplied reference material. NBS’s on-air and editorial identity has been associated with journalists and presenters including Canary Mugume, Samson Kasumba, Solomon Serwanjja, Dalton Kaweesa, Mildred Amooti Tuhaise, and Anatalia Oze, also known as Anatalia Nambooze. Former presenters have included Joy Doreen Biira, Rukh-Shana Namuyimba, and Tamale Mirundi. The station’s present brand proposition combines national news authority, political debate, multilingual reach, live broadcasting capability, and integration with the wider Next Media operation.
History
NBS Television was established in Uganda after obtaining a broadcasting licence and beginning official transmissions on June 16, 2008. Its first premises were modest: the station operated from a two-bedroom apartment in Kampala’s UAP Building on Kimathi Avenue. It later relocated to Media Plaza in Lower Kololo and broadcast using a single transmitter. These early arrangements reflected the station’s gradual development from a small entrant into a national television operation. Kin Kariisa is identified with the founding and subsequent development of NBS. By 2014, ownership had been consolidated under his leadership. The station pursued a stronger editorial and commercial identity through two significant rebranding exercises, in 2011 and 2014, while expanding its production and reporting capacity. News, political discussion, and current affairs became central to the brand, supported by programming in both English and Luganda. In 2017, NBS became the flagship of Next Media Group. The group’s portfolio connected the television station with Sanyuka TV, Salam TV, Next Radio, Nile Post, Next Com, and related media activities. This arrangement broadened NBS’s access to digital distribution, cross-platform promotion, radio collaboration, online publishing, and commercial services. A digital transformation strategy and the creation of regional bureaus helped the broadcaster extend coverage beyond Kampala. NBS later moved to the former WBS TV site, which was developed as Next Media Park in 2020. The purpose-built media complex became the station’s principal base and symbolized its transition to a larger integrated media organization. The broadcaster also developed a reputation for live national-event coverage. Its coverage of Pope Francis’s 2015 visit to Uganda was widely cited as an important demonstration of the country’s capacity for major live television production. The station’s programme portfolio has remained centered on news and public affairs. NBS Amasengejje serves Luganda-speaking audiences, while NBS Live at 9 provides a major English-language evening bulletin. Frontline and Barometer Akasameeme focus on political discussion and analysis, and programmes such as After 5 and NBS Youth Voice address entertainment and younger viewers. Business, sports, and lifestyle content supplement the core news schedule. NBS has also used its media reach for public campaigns. Initiatives associated with the station and Next Media have addressed plastic-bag reduction, waste management, recycling, financial literacy, digital literacy, tree planting, and misinformation. These campaigns have supported the brand’s broader claim to be a public-information institution rather than only a commercial broadcaster. By the 2020s, NBS was described in supplied reference material as one of Uganda’s leading television stations. A 2024 survey cited a 44 percent national viewership share for NBS, although the methodology and scope of that survey should be checked before treating the figure as a definitive market statistic. The station has continued to combine political journalism, live coverage, regional reporting, entertainment, and digital distribution under the Next Media umbrella.
- 2023
Brand Africa recognition
[1]NBS is identified in the supplied reference material as the Most Admired Ugandan Media Brand.
- 2020
Relocation to Next Media Park
[1]NBS moves to the former WBS TV site, now known as Next Media Park.
- 2017
Becomes Next Media Group flagship
[1]NBS becomes the flagship television brand within Next Media Group.
- 2015
Coverage of Pope Francis’s Uganda visit
[1]NBS provides live coverage of Pope Francis’s visit, an event associated with the station’s growing live-production profile.
- 2014
Ownership consolidation and rebrand
[1]Ownership is secured under Kin Kariisa’s leadership, alongside another significant brand refresh.
- 2011
First major rebrand
[1]The station undertakes one of the major brand refreshes associated with its early development.
- 2008
Official broadcasting begins
[1]NBS TV starts official broadcasts in Uganda on June 16 after receiving a broadcasting licence.
Products and positioning
Uganda’s Political Command Centre: a national television news and current-affairs brand emphasizing live coverage, political analysis, investigative journalism, multilingual programming, and public-interest communication.
English-language evening news
NBS Live at 9
A flagship English-language evening news bulletin covering national politics, public affairs, business, and major regional and international developments.
Luganda-language news
NBS Amasengejje
A major Luganda-language evening news programme serving audiences seeking national reporting and current affairs in one of Uganda’s most widely used local languages.
Political discussion
Frontline
An English-language political discussion programme focused on debate, interviews, and analysis of Uganda’s principal public and political issues.
Luganda current affairs
Barometer Akasameeme
A Luganda-language current-affairs programme providing discussion and interpretation of political and social developments.
Youth and entertainment
After 5
A weekday youth-oriented entertainment programme designed to combine popular culture, personalities, and lifestyle content for younger viewers.
Youth programming
NBS Youth Voice
A youth-focused programme featuring student and young-audience perspectives alongside entertainment content.
Marketing campaigns
- 202415 Million Trees
Uganda
A reforestation campaign promoting large-scale tree planting and environmental stewardship.
- 2024#DisMisFakeNews
Uganda
A misinformation-awareness campaign encouraging audiences to identify, question, and avoid the spread of false or misleading information.
- 2023Beera Steady – Be Better
Uganda
A public-information initiative addressing financial and digital literacy.
- 2021Taasa Obutonde
Uganda
A continuing environmental campaign focused on waste management, recycling, and protection of the natural environment.
- 2018Tuve Ku Kaveera
Uganda
A public-awareness initiative encouraging action against plastic-bag pollution and promoting cleaner communities.
Brand decisions
2020
Move operations to Next Media ParkStrategyBackground
NBS had outgrown its earlier offices and required facilities suited to an integrated media group.
Action taken
The station moved to the former WBS TV site, which became Next Media Park in Kampala.
Aftermath
The relocation provided a purpose-built base for television production and the wider Next Media operation.
2017
Make NBS the flagship of Next MediaStrategyBackground
The broadcaster was being developed as part of a broader multi-platform media operation.
Action taken
NBS was designated the flagship television brand of Next Media Group and linked more closely with the group’s other media businesses.
Aftermath
The group structure supported cross-platform distribution, digital transformation, regional reporting, and expanded live-event production.
Sources2 sources
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