“SABC will receive R704 million over the MTEF. This includes R43 million for programme production, R464 million to support the core public broadcasting mandate, R197 million for Channel Africa,†Minister Solly Malatsi said.
Two of the SABC’s three main free-to-air channels and eight radio stations are running at a loss, including once prominent platforms like 5FM, Radio 2000, and RSG.
The SABC explained that TV licence compliance remained lower than 20%, with most revenue coming from “legacy†holders.
The SABC said the surge in registrations has been largely driven by live sports broadcasts, which have consistently attracted over 60,000 new users per major game.
Meanwhile two of its three main TV channels – SABC2 and SABC3 – will continue to run at a loss, with SABC1 that has to carry the weight of “subsidising” the two loss making channels.
The Competition Tribunal has dismissed MultiChoice’s bid to halt a case over its alleged unnotified merger with the SABC.
SABC2’s weekend glitch left Afrikaans news viewers in the dark, prompting outrage and talk of political interference or just plain incompetence.
The SABC’s video streaming service is seeing tremendous growth and is set to play a fundamental part in the public broadcaster’s planned return to profitability over the next few years.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) expects to report a nearly R1-billion profit in 2026/27, the National Treasury revealed in its Budget Review document.
If South Africa follows through with the 31 March analogue switch-off deadline, a date being challenged in court today, the SABC risks losing a quarter of its viewership at the end of the month.