Set to operate in an experimental phase of three months (later delayed and extended to six months) from 5pm to midnight, the channel was set to start on December 14 with support from the Portuguese channel TVI and a staff of about 310 people, some of them trained in Portugal, Brazil and South Africa.
The channel was to broadcast in the UHF band terrestrially and also on DStv and Visabeira's TV Cabo.
[1] On launch day, the channel aimed to provide "credible" news to "a growing number of Angolans".
[3] TV Zimbo was founded on 14 December 2008 and started regular programming on 15 May 2009, in time for the 2009 elections and the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.
Aiming to increase ratings, the channel added new content, such as the Angolan adaptation of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, interview program Cara a Cara, CSI and CSI: Miami, matches of Angolan teams in CAF championships and "criteriously selected" concerts and feature films.
In November 2010, following a financial turmoil at Medianova, 75% of TV Zimbo's employees, mostly Portuguese expatriates, were laid off and replaced by local technicians.