by Thinus Ferreira
"Good night and God bless" indeed: The revived Top Billing, back on SABC3 after an absence of six and a half years, is pulling boffo ratings with 133 320 viewers who tuned in to watch the first brand-new episode on 30 April on SABC3, and with Top Billing's weekly viewership remaining steady and rising since.
As the SABC's most struggling TV channel, Top Billing's addition is single-handedly reviving SABC3's moribund and sliding linear TV ratings, proving that original and high-quality production content will scoop up viewers for advertisers and bring them to the channel for appointment viewing.
Besides a SABC3 repeat, Top Billing episodes also get a weekly repeat slot on SABC1.
Stripping out the SABC3 repeat, and besides the SABC1 episode replay, Top Billing lured 133 320 linear viewers on Thursday 30 April to the 19:00 timeslot on SABC3 in the All Adults 15+ demo - the one that advertisers focus on.
The next week, Top Billing held steady, luring 133 326 viewers in the demo on 7 May 2026 to SABC3 at 19:00, which increased for the third episode on 14 May on SABC3 to 177 008 viewers.
Total Top Billing viewers would be even higher if the SABC3 and SABC1 repeats, and SABC+ were added.
The ratings for the first three Top Billing episodes are far from bad - especially considering its debut on a neglected TV channel that hasn't had any real, original local content or anything high-quality or substantive for years as an audience draw.
Cardova Productions, the SABC, SABC3, as well as show sponsors and advertisers, are surely happy with the positive Top Billing reception from viewers and the SABC3 ratings bounce.
