Sanyu Television started broadcasting in October 1994. The channel provided an alternative to UTV and CTV; by 1996, it carried popular US TV series such as Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Living Single, The Commish and Dark Justice.[1] It had a contract with CNN International to relay its programmes. Such contract ended in early 1998 and was replaced by Multichoice's music channel, Channel O, through a long-term agreement where the channel did not pay from it.[2] Under the Katto family, it was owned by the Sanyu Group of Companies and broadcast from Naguru Hill.[3] In June 1998, it had entered into a dispute with Uganda Television for the broadcast rights of the 1998 FIFA World Cup.[4]
The Kattos later sold Sanyu TV to Direct to Broadcast, a South African-based company that delivered a package of programmes via satellite from Johannesburg and later sent it to TV stations across Africa via contracts.[5] By doing so, it became one of the four founding affiliates.[6] Subsequently, the Sanyu Group of Companies sold the channel to TVAfrica, effectively becoming an owned-and-operated station of the network,[7] at the cost of US$5.5 million.[5] The station changed its logo in 2000 to a modified version of TVAfrica's dotted map of Africa, bearing the STV initials.[8]
For the rest of its existence, it served as the Uganda subsidiary of the TVAfrica network.[9] It is believed that Sanyu Television shut down alongside TVAfrica in 2003, when the South African parent was put into liquidation.[10] Thomas Katto, founder and former owner of the channel, died on 21 October 2007.[11]