TV3 Samoa
| Country | Samoa |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Samoa Worldwide (via subscription) |
| Headquarters | Apia, Samoa |
| Programming | |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Apia Broadcasting Corporation |
| History | |
| Launched | 25 May 2006 |
| Links | |
| Website | https://www.tv3samoa.net |
TV3 Samoa is a Samoan television station founded in 2006. The station is owned by the Apia Broadcasting Corporation. The channel is available online and on subscription television in Samoa and is also in the Cook Islands via Vodafone Cook Islands' MoanaTV platform.[1]
History
[edit]The channel started broadcasting in May 2006 covering 60% of Samoa, but planned to increase the reach to 95% and a second channel relaying the Mormon channel BYUtv.[2]
Hans Joachim Keil, who underwent surgery overseas since August 2017, sold Apia Broadcasting to Maposua Corey Keil and Nicholas Caffarelli on April 6, 2018. The move made TV3 a sister station to Maposua's existing Radio Polynesia.[3]
In 2023, the channel received funding from Pasifika TV's Pasifika On Air for two series, the two-part Pese Samoa half-hour documentaries on Samoan music and Project Climate on the effects of climate change on Samoa. These two aired on Pasifika's member channels on July 20.[4] Its facilities were partly destroyed on September 13, 2023, owing to a lit end of cigarette butt. As consequence, the channel moved to back-up offices in Vaitele.[5]
In May 2024, RNZ reported that TV3 had moved its station completely online since it was unable to afford to broadcast traditionally, coupled by the high number of channels in such a small market like Samoa.[6] In the next month, however, it had reverted its decision and resumed terrestrial broadcasts. At the time, it had a staff of 18.[7] As of midnight on 15 January 2026, per a post on TV3's Facebook account, it announced that it would shut down its terrestrial signal again, being limited to its Twitch stream, as well as on pay television operators Moana TV (Vodafone Samoa) and DTV (Digicel).[8]
References
[edit]- ↑ Moana TV, Vodafone Cook Islands, retrieved 2 October 2026
- ↑ Samoa gets another free to air TV channel
- ↑ New Owners for TV3
- ↑ Pasifika On Air: Pese Samoa
- ↑ Cigarette end suspected to have sparked large fire in Apia
- ↑ "Samoa's TV3 closes channel and goes fully online". RNZ. 10 May 2024. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
- ↑ "TV back on digital connection". Samoa Observer.
- ↑ TV3 Samoa Facebook post, 14 January 2026, retrieved 2 October 2026