| Medi1 TV | |
| Picture Format: | 1080i HDTV (downscaled to 16:9 576i for the SDTV feed) |
| Country: | Morocco |
| Language: | Arabic French |
| Area: | Africa, Europe and Middle East |
| Headquarters: | Tangier Free Zone, Morocco |
| Terr Serv 1: | DTT (Morocco) |
| Terr Chan 1: | Channel 7 (SD) |
| Online Serv 1: | medi1tv.com |
| Online Chan 1: | Watch live |
| Former Names: | Medi 1 Sat (2006–2010) |
Medi 1 TV (formerly Medi 1 Sat) is a Moroccan free-to-air television channel launched in 2006. The channel broadcasts news content in Arabic and French.
Medi 1 TV was first launched on 1 December 2006 under the name Medi 1 Sat, broadcasting exclusively on satellite, and was co-jointly owned by public Moroccan and French investors.[1] The channel's launch schedule consisted mainly of news programming focusing on Morocco and Maghreb-related affairs.
In 2009, the channel became entirely Moroccan-owned following the acquisition of the previously French-owned shares by the Caisse de dépôt et de gestion (CDG).[2] Abbas Azzouzi was appointed by the Board of Directors as the new CEO in 2010, succeeding its founder Pierre Casalta, who had previously directed its sister network Medi1 Radio.
On 30 October 2010, Medi 1 Sat was rebranded Medi 1 TV, becoming a generalist channel in addition to entering the terrestrial Moroccan TV market. Plans were for Medi 1 TV to cover 74% of national territory by the end of November.[3]
In 2014, the channel obtained a new broadcasting license after two Emirati media firms (named as Nekst Investments and Steeds Medias) acquired shares within its capital.[4]
On 1 February 2016, Medi 1 TV reverted its programming to rolling news and current affairs. It also split into two separate channels the same year, with one targeting Francophone African audiences.[5] In June 2016, Hassan Khiyar, the concurrent director of Medi1 Radio, was appointed to also serve as the CEO of Medi 1 TV. This came as the Board of Directors sought to "change the management model and governance of MEDI1TV with a repositioning strategic as a continuous and permanent news channel, published in partnership with Radio Méditerranée Internationale [Medi1 Radio] as part of a unique project with a national, regional and international vocation."[6]
In 2019, Medi 1 TV launched an exclusively Arabic-language channel as part of its network lineup.[7]
In 2021, the Moroccan public broadcaster SNRT announced a forthcoming plan to acquire Medi 1 TV, as well as its sister channel Medi1 Radio and 2M, with a plan to reorganize the channels within a public holding group by 2024.[8] The CDG, via its subsidiary CDG Invest, subsequently bought out the entirety of Medi 1 TV for 105 million MAD (US$11.9 million), with plans to transfer ownership to SNRT once it meets legal requirements.[9]