South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) has put forward a new plan to make significant changes to the rules on TV broadcasting in the country, with a focus on sports broadcasting.
The Proposed New Changes
The proposed changes were in documents that were widely shared before the ANC’s July conference, the Sunday Times said.
While the party is pushing for several changes, the most significant will be a ban on selling exclusive broadcasting rights for sporting events, with the party also planning to make matches involving national teams, such as Rugby World Cup champions the Springboks, available for free or at a reduced cost on the country’s public broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).
Moreover, the ANC is trying to push for the games to be televised live rather than delayed.
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“As the ANC, we are saying, let’s have a debate to ensure that all South Africans watch, especially sports of national interest,” said Nkenke Kekana, chairperson of the ANC’s communications sub-committee.
“Where there are competing rights and interests, we encourage dialogue.” “It cannot be that the size of one’s purse determines one’s rights,” Kekana continued.
According to the report, the proposed changes would have a direct and adverse effect on MultiChoice and its satellite TV subscription service DStv, which is currently boosted by its exclusive live sports programming in the face of stiff competition from a sea of cheaper online streaming services operating in the country.
What The New Changes Means For SABC
The changes would also help the struggling SABC, which has seen its primary source of income, TV license fees, drop sharply in recent years.
Millions of South Africans could be drawn back to the SABC’s channels if they showed exclusive sports events. This could help the SABC stop its recent decline in profits.
Broad Media says that the SABC is also planning to replace the current TV licence system with a new “technology-neutral” public media levy that would cost all South Africans the same amount.
This new proposed tax would be “device-independent,” meaning that South Africans who do not own a television would still be required to contribute.
Also, the “dominant subscription broadcaster,” which in this case would be DStv and MultiChoice, is expected to collect the money for the proposed levy on behalf of the public broadcaster.
