On Sunday, October 30, the National Television News of Cuba (NTV) experienced an interruption due to a power outage at its central studios during a Sunday broadcast.
The incident, initially shared on Facebook by journalist Javier Díaz, seems to have been removed from the official pages of Canal Caribe.
In a 49-second video, the sports segment presenter was seen being abruptly cut off by the blackout.
Following the interruption, an announcer had to apologize to the audience during the live broadcast: "Greetings, unfortunately, there was a power failure at the central studios of Cuban television."
After the disruption, the news program resumed with a report on the visit of Interior Commerce Minister Betsy Díaz Velázquez to the province of Matanzas to oversee progress in culinary and service transformations.
This is not the first time Cuba's main state-run news program has been at the mercy of power failures.
In June, NTV suffered a 15-minute interruption during its broadcast, as reported by journalist Daniel Benítez: "For about 15 minutes, they were without electricity and had to fill the time with music and other informational segments."
That same month, a failure at Havana's Apolo Substation caused the shutdown of several thermoelectric units, including units 6 and 8 of the Mariel Thermoelectric Plant and unit 3 of the Renté Thermoelectric Plant, further exacerbating the power generation deficit.
Cuba's electrical crisis has reached unprecedented levels this year. On May 14, the worst deficit of the year was recorded, with just 976 MW available against a demand of over 2,600 MW, forcing simultaneous power cuts affecting up to 70% of the island.
By early June, the projected deficit neared 1,940 MW during peak hours, while the Electric Company confirmed that residents of Holguín would have only three hours of electricity per day, with some municipalities experiencing blackouts lasting up to 50 consecutive hours.
The channel tasked with informing about power cuts cannot even ensure electricity for its own broadcasts.
This latest incident during the NTV's Sunday edition highlights the depth of a crisis that even the state media apparatus can no longer conceal.
Voices from within the system have broken the silence. At the end of May, Jeannette Juaristi Torres, a director linked to the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television and Canal Habana, published a viral denunciation rejecting the U.S. embargo as the main cause of the crisis: "We are dying alive," she wrote, pointing to infrastructure obsolescence, lack of maintenance, and fuel shortages as key factors.
The national TV signal had previously suffered a 59-minute outage in August 2024 due to technical problems, and Canal Habana collapsed that same month due to lack of electrical supply. These precedents illustrate how the energy debacle has been affecting even the institutions the regime uses as a showcase for information.
Understanding Cuba's Energy Crisis
What caused the interruption of the National Television News broadcast in Cuba?
The broadcast was interrupted due to a power outage at the central studios of Cuban television.
How has the electrical crisis in Cuba affected state-run media?
The crisis has led to multiple broadcast interruptions, with power outages affecting even the main state-run news program, NTV, and contributing to significant disruptions in media operations.
What are the main factors contributing to Cuba's energy crisis?
Key issues include outdated infrastructure, insufficient maintenance, and fuel shortages, rather than external factors like the U.S. embargo.