SABC is running out of cash to keep the gravy train going, with that being said, the national broadcaster is trying every trick in the book to keep the lights on.
In a quest to save the dying SABC, the communications portfolio commitee in parliamant are urging the Minister of Communications to introduce a Levy fee on international streaming services to fund SABC bills.
Kwena Moloto, told MyBroadband that the levy was one of several alternative funding sources being explored.
“The Department is exploring several funding models, none of which have been adopted as a proposal at this stage,” Moloto said.
In April 2025, Sportscape Media founder and director Gary Rathbone voiced his support for a levy on international streaming services to help fund the SABC.
He explained that players like MultiChoice, the SABC, and E-tv are restricted in their ability to operate in the local broadcasting space.
“Whether it’s MultiChoice, the SABC, or E-tv, they have restrictions that we place on them because they’re South African broadcasters, and they have dues to pay to the South African public to be able to operate,” Rathbone said.
“Netflix and the like don’t have those restrictions. So they need to have some kind of thing to level the playing field, and I think the levy is definitely the only way to go.”
He also highlighted that part of the reason for the SABC’s dismal financial situation is that it failed to leverage its audience numbers to maximise advertising revenue.
“They are a major broadcaster with the biggest audience in the country, yet they still sort of consistently failed to actually drive the advertising revenues that line up with those numbers,” Rathbone said.
He highlighted that DStv’s owner, MultiChoice, managed to grab the lion’s share of advertising with far smaller audience numbers.
Regardless, Rathbone believes the SABC should set its focus on its streaming platform, SABC Plus.
“There was talk about them saying they need to get their own set-top boxes and create a competitor to OpenView or something like that,” he said.
“No, you’ve got the most future-proof option in your hand right now, which is SABC Plus.”
Rathbone added that the public broadcaster should focus every available resource on driving advertising, audio reach, and retention on its streaming platform.
“That’s where the focus should be because that’s where the audiences are moving,” he stated.
