RTL9, Trace Africa, and the channels that raised a generation in Cameroon 📺 🇨🇲

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Before YouTube, TikTok, and Netflix took over Cameroonian living rooms, an entire generation grew up glued to a cathode-ray screen. Between 2000 and 2012, access to social media and smartphones remained marginal in Cameroon — internet penetration in the country stood at no more than 4% in 2010, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). And yet, that generation was never bored. Trace Africa, RTL9, Manga, Tiji, and Nollywood TV filled evenings and weekends with programming that, today, struggles to hold its ground against the digital wave.

Movie channels: action and mystery in primetime 🎬

RTL9 left a lasting mark on Generation 2000’s imagination. Specializing in action films, the channel made late-night viewing its signature. Germaine remembers it fondly:

« The best action movies aired at night on RTL9. I still remember that one Van Damme revenge flick like it was yesterday. »

Past midnight, the channel would deliberately cut its broadcast — a way of managing both its programming and its broadcasting rights. RTL9 still exists today, but its audience across sub-Saharan Africa is reportedly down significantly over the past decade. « I still catch it sometimes, but it’s not the same. The last show that really hooked me on RTL9 was the German action series Alerte Cobra, back in 2018, » says Stève Loïc.

Nollywood TV held its own distinct place. Nearly everyone from Generation 2000 remembers Princesse Tiara, Billionaire’s Club, and The Priest Must Die — Nigerian productions blending the supernatural, action, and romance.

« Nobody could ignore the performances of twins Dosier and Ekié. They were my favorites, » recalls one viewer from that era

At its peak, Nollywood TV claimed several million connected households across Central and West Africa, riding the wave of Canal+’s satellite cable expansion on the continent.

Music channels: Trace Africa’s undisputed reign 🎵

Trace Africa ruled the charts unchallenged. Coupé-décalé, zouk, makossa, bikutsi, Afrobeats — every genre on the continent found its place there. Launched in 2003, the channel claimed a weekly audience of more than 13 million viewers across Africa by 2010, according to its own broadcast data.

DJ Arafat, P-Square, Toofan : artists who became icons, in part thanks to the platform Trace gave them.

« It was wonderful. Trace Africa knew exactly how to keep us hooked — especially when your favorite artist topped the charts, » recalls Nadine.

Boom TV held the second spot on the musical podium, building a loyal, younger, and more urban audience.

Cartoon channels: Manga and Tiji, the original screen babysitters 🐉

For the youngest viewers, Manga and Tiji served as digital babysitters. The popular expression « je regarde les mangas » — used in Cameroon to describe watching any cartoon at all — traces directly back to how thoroughly the Manga channel dominated households. Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, and Tiji’s own lineup shaped an entire cultural aesthetic. « I was a total fan. I can still recite whole episodes today because of those channels, » admits Ibrahim.

The digital shift: how streaming dethroned the antenna 📲

As mobile internet adoption surged, Cameroon’s internet penetration rate climbed from 4% in 2010 to over 45% in 2023, according to the Telecommunications Regulatory Board (ART), the country’s telecom regulator. The relationship with television changed fundamentally. Content once locked to a fixed broadcast schedule is now available anytime, anywhere.

« Thanks to the internet, I can rewatch the shows that shaped my childhood whenever I want, » sums up Léa.

YouTube alone reportedly logs several million African views a month on Nollywood and Afropop content. The specialized channels lost their one true advantage: being first. Producers and broadcasters have largely migrated to digital platforms to monetize their content.

In this new ecosystem, the view count has firmly replaced the old idea of « audience. »

Trace Africa, RTL9, Nollywood TV — which channel from your generation do you miss the most in the streaming era? Tell us in the comments.