El Hiwar El Tounsi

El Hiwar El Tounsi, also written as El Hiwar Et Tounsi, is a Tunisian television station whose name means “The Tunisian Dialogue.” The channel was established in 2003 by Tahar Ben Hassine, a Tunisian left-wing émigré based in Paris. Its early identity was shaped by its political position: it operated as an unlicensed satellite broadcaster and carried political programming critical of the government of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. In that period, the station represented an opposition-oriented media voice available to Tunisian audiences through satellite reception, despite operating outside the country’s conventional licensed broadcasting framework. The Tunisian Revolution of 2010–2011 created a fundamentally different media and regulatory environment. Following the fall of the Ben Ali regime, El Hiwar El Tounsi relocated to the Manouba suburb of Tunis. It subsequently moved toward digital terrestrial broadcasting and broadened its role from an explicitly oppositional satellite outlet into a mainstream Tunisian television channel. This transition involved both a geographic change and a change in editorial and commercial positioning: the station became more closely integrated into Tunisia’s domestic television market while retaining a strong association with political discussion and locally produced programming. In 2014, Ben Hassine sold the channel to a group of investors led by Zamel Fehri and Aziz Jemal. The ownership change marked an important stage in the channel’s institutional development, shifting control from its founding figure to an investor-backed group. Public reference material does not establish a current ultimate owner or a detailed corporate group structure, so those fields remain unspecified here. By March 2015, El Hiwar El Tounsi was reported as Tunisia’s most widely watched television channel, with a 26.7 percent audience share. That reported position illustrates the scale the channel achieved after its post-revolution transition and its ability to compete beyond its original political niche. Its programming included political and general-interest television, as well as notable productions such as Awled Moufida and Denya Okhra. These productions helped associate the channel with Tunisian locally produced entertainment in addition to its public-affairs identity. The station’s visual identity has also intersected with developments involving Ettounsiya TV. Reference material notes that the channel’s logo changes color to the sky-blue color associated with Ettounsiya TV, after Zamel Fehri transferred Ettounsiya TV to Slim Riahi. The available material does not provide enough detail to establish the precise legal, branding, or ownership relationship between the two channels, so the matter should not be treated as a confirmed corporate merger or unified brand architecture. El Hiwar El Tounsi’s documented trajectory therefore runs from exile-based, unauthorized satellite broadcasting to domestic terrestrial distribution and mass-market television. Its history reflects the broader transformation of Tunisian media after the revolution: the removal of the former regime’s constraints opened space for formerly oppositional broadcasters, while competition, investment, locally produced programming, and audience measurement became increasingly important to their development.

El Hiwar El Tounsi was launched in 2003 by Tahar Ben Hassine, a Tunisian left-wing émigré living in Paris. The station began as an unlicensed satellite broadcaster, a format that allowed it to reach Tunisian viewers while remaining outside the country’s official broadcasting system. Its programming was politically oriented and opposed the government of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. This early period established the channel’s identity as an alternative and opposition media outlet rather than as a conventional commercial television station. The Tunisian Revolution and the departure of Ben Ali changed the operating conditions for private media. After the revolution, El Hiwar El Tounsi moved to Tunisia and established itself in Manouba, a suburb of Tunis. The station also shifted toward digital terrestrial transmission. This relocation and technical transition helped convert it from a diaspora-linked satellite channel into a domestically based broadcaster serving a wider national audience. The channel’s post-revolution development included a broadening of its programming and audience proposition. Although political programs remained central to its public identity, El Hiwar El Tounsi also became associated with general-interest and entertainment content. Two productions specifically associated with the station are Awled Moufida and Denya Okhra. Their presence in the channel’s profile indicates the importance of Tunisian locally produced programming alongside news and political discussion. In 2014, Tahar Ben Hassine sold the station to an investor group headed by Zamel Fehri and Aziz Jemal. This transaction transferred control from the founder to new investors and represented a significant ownership turning point. The available reference material does not specify the transaction value, the legal entity acquiring the station, or the subsequent detailed ownership structure. The channel achieved a prominent position in the Tunisian television market. In March 2015, it was reported to have the country’s highest television audience share, at 26.7 percent. This result reflected the station’s transformation from a politically oppositional satellite outlet into a broadly consumed national channel. It also demonstrated the commercial and audience potential of Tunisian private television after the country’s political transition. El Hiwar El Tounsi’s visual identity has been linked in reference material to Ettounsiya TV. The channel’s logo is described as changing color to the sky blue associated with Ettounsiya TV, following the transfer of Ettounsiya TV by Zamel Fehri to Slim Riahi. The available sources do not establish whether this represented a formal merger, a licensing arrangement, shared branding, or another relationship, and no stronger corporate conclusion should be drawn without additional documentation. The documented history of El Hiwar El Tounsi can therefore be understood in three phases: its 2003–2011 existence as an unlicensed, opposition-oriented satellite station; its post-revolution relocation and conversion into a terrestrial Tunisian broadcaster; and its subsequent development under investor ownership into a high-reach channel combining political programming with locally produced entertainment. Its record is closely connected to the liberalization and restructuring of Tunisia’s media environment after the revolution.

• 2015

  Reported as Tunisia’s leading television channel by audience share

  [1]El Hiwar Et Tounsien.wikipedia.org

  In March, the channel was reported to hold a 26.7 percent share of the Tunisian television market, the highest among the country’s channels at that time.

• 2014

  Ownership transferred to investor group

  [1]El Hiwar Et Tounsien.wikipedia.org

  Founder Tahar Ben Hassine sold the channel to investors led by Zamel Fehri and Aziz Jemal.

• 2011

  Post-revolution relocation to Tunisia

  [1]El Hiwar Et Tounsien.wikipedia.org

  After the Tunisian Revolution, the station relocated to Manouba near Tunis and moved toward domestic digital terrestrial broadcasting.

• 2003

  Channel launched as an opposition satellite broadcaster

  [1]El Hiwar Et Tounsien.wikipedia.org

  Tahar Ben Hassine launched El Hiwar El Tounsi from Paris as an unlicensed satellite station carrying political programming opposed to the Ben Ali regime.

A Tunisian national television channel combining political discussion, current affairs, and locally produced entertainment. Its historical positioning is rooted in opposition broadcasting, while its post-revolution development has been that of a mainstream domestic broadcaster.

• Television programming · 2003

  Political and current-affairs programming

  Political discussion and current-affairs programs formed an important part of El Hiwar El Tounsi’s identity, particularly because the channel originated as an opposition-oriented broadcaster during the Ben Ali era. After the revolution, this programming continued within a broader mainstream television schedule.

• Television drama

  Awled Moufida

  Awled Moufida is a notable Tunisian television production associated with El Hiwar El Tounsi. It represents the station’s expansion beyond political programming into locally produced entertainment and drama for a broad domestic audience.

• Television production

  Denya Okhra

  Denya Okhra is another notable production identified with El Hiwar El Tounsi. The available reference material lists the program among the channel’s productions but does not provide sufficient detail about its format, launch date, or current availability.

• 2014

  Sale of the channel to an investor groupM&A

  Background

  After more than a decade under founder Tahar Ben Hassine, the channel entered a new ownership phase.

  Action taken

  Ben Hassine sold El Hiwar El Tounsi to investors headed by Zamel Fehri and Aziz Jemal.

  Aftermath

  The sale transferred control to an investor-backed group. The transaction value and detailed legal structure are not specified in the available material.

  Source

• 2011

  Transition from satellite opposition outlet to domestic broadcasterStrategy

  Background

  The Tunisian Revolution changed the political and media environment in which El Hiwar El Tounsi operated.

  Action taken

  The channel relocated to Manouba near Tunis and moved toward digital terrestrial broadcasting while broadening its mainstream television role.

  Aftermath

  The transition enabled the station to operate as a domestically based broadcaster and reach a wider Tunisian audience.

  Source

1. 1El Hiwar Et Tounsien.wikipedia.org
2. 2El Hiwar El Tounsi official websitehplus.tv