# CFI TV

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**CFI TV** was a [French](/source/France)-based [pan-African](/source/Pan-African) television network catering largely to the [Françafrique](/source/Fran%C3%A7afrique) region. It existed from 5 July 1999 to 31 December 2003 and was operated by the French media cooperation agency [CFI](/source/French_Media_Development_Agency). The network was available terrestrially in most of the countries where it operated.

After a shortage of funds, CFI TV shut down and was replaced by [TV5 Afrique](/source/TV5MONDE) on its terrestrial network.

## History

CFI announced in May 1999 that it would launch a network for Africa;[1] broadcasts began on 5 July of that year.[2] By November, CFI was favourable in launching its channel on [DStv](/source/DStv), in opposition to ATV, as the second French channel on the package.[3]

In 2000, the channel started airing the Burkinabé comedy *[The Bobodioufs](/source/The_Bobodioufs)*.[4] On 7 April, Le SAT (Satellite Afrique Télévision) was sold to CFI TV.[5]

In June 2002, the channel started carrying *12 Minutes Afrique*, which CFI produced and TV5 also aired. Under this arrangement, the editions were uploaded on TV5's website at 9pm UTC every evening, after the airing on CFI TV (8:45pm UTC).[6]

It was one of the eighteen television stations available on terrestrial television in Kinshasa. It and TV5, also available over-the-air, mainly attracted an upper-class audience (executives, workers, students).[7]

### Closure

Rumours began circulating in October 2003 that the channel was set to close by the end of the year, however CFI did not have official information on the subject. [France Télévisions](/source/France_T%C3%A9l%C3%A9visions), CFI's primary shareholder, had nothing to say. The audience base in Françafrique was already preparing for the closure, condemning its shutdown as the channel gave more visibility for African projects.[8] It was later revealed that CFI was working for a French counterweight to English-language world news channels, CFI 24, a concept which would later become [France 24](/source/France_24). From 2004, CFI would continue distributing programmes free of charge to African broadcasters.[9] Finally, on 31 December 2003, CFI TV shut down for good. TV5 Afrique became responsible for managing its terrestrial footprint and some of its content, such as *Club de la presse*.[10]

## References

1. [CFI et TV5 rationalisent leur couverture de l'Afrique](https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1999/05/12/cfi-et-tv5-rationalisent-leur-couverture-de-l-afrique_3554289_1819218.html)

1. [L’explosion des techniques de diffusion audiovisuelle en Afrique](https://www.osiris.sn/L-explosion-des-techniques-de.html)

1. [\[1\]](https://www.unifrance.org/annuaires/societe/364931/dstv-bouquet-multichoice-mih-naspers)

1. ["Burkina Faso : disparition de Patrick Martinet, le père des "Bobodiouf""](https://information.tv5monde.com/afrique/burkina-faso-disparition-de-patrick-martinet-le-pere-des-bobodiouf-32970) (in French). *TV5MONDE - Informations*. 2020-04-10. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20250118080105/https://information.tv5monde.com/afrique/burkina-faso-disparition-de-patrick-martinet-le-pere-des-bobodiouf-32970) 2025-01-18 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-11-11.

1. [Le bouquet africain Le Sat cédé à CFI](https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/2000/04/07/le-bouquet-africain-le-sat-cede-a-cfi_3621369_1819218.html)

1. [L'Afrique a son journal télévisé sur le net](https://www.afrik.com/l-afrique-a-son-journal-televise-sur-le-net)

1. [Les kinois et la télé](https://africultures.com/les-kinois-et-la-tele-2716/)

1. [Oraisons funèbres pour CFI TV](https://www.afrik.com/oraisons-funebres-pour-cfi-tv)

1. [Médias francophones : C.F.I.-T.V. K.O., T.V.5. O.K.](https://lefaso.net/spip.php?article929)

1. [Écran noir pour CFI TV](https://www.afrik.com/ecran-noir-pour-cfi-tv)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [CFI TV](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFI_TV) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFI_TV?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.