The SABC's water is cholera free and its hair salon is popular with e.tv staffers: The fascinating - and sometimes funny - details from the SABC's latest annual report.

The only light coming from the SABC's latest 2015/16 financial report and its R411 million loss is that it's safely disposing of its flourescent lights that contain hazardous chemicals and mercury vapor.

That's little comfort to SABC staff and the public who are recoiling at its latest set of dismal results that saw the SABC's financial position worsen further, posting it's 6th consecutive qualified audit with another growing loss as its cash balance plunged precipitously below the R1 billion mark to R881 million.

While the SABC's financial report describes its controversial executive Hlaudi Motsoeneng as someone who has been "proven to be a leader of note", the reality is that Hlaudi Motsoeneng – whose salary ballooned further from R3.7 to R4.19 million – oversaw a period in which the SABC slid further back as the beleaguered SABC continues to lurch from crisis tot crisis.

Hlaudi Motsoeneng is now the best-paid single individual at the SABC.

The now-fired head of TV Verona Duwarkah pocketed R2.69 million, and the now-axed CEO Frans Matlala got R3.6 million for 9 months. 

The SABC report only states that he was placed on suspension and doesn't say why. James Aguma, chief financial officer, and now acting CEO, earned R3.62 million.

SABC chairperson Obert Maguvhe pocketed R637 000 – more than the R537 000 the disgraced former chairperson Ellen Tshabalala got in the previous financial year.

SABC audience share falls again, down to 48.8%

While the SABC's TV channels SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3 attract audiences of 28.8 million, 26.9 million and 21 million viewers per week, the reality is that the SABC's average audience share fell yet again to 48.8%.

That's down from 57% in 2011/2012 and 53% in 2012/2013.

The SABC admits that it missed its target of 52% and blames "increased competition and changing audience content consumption patterns" for its falling share.

In radio the SABC radio stations managed an adult (listeners older than 15) audience share of only 69.9%, meaning that almost a third of people who can listen to one of the SABC’s radio stations don't want to.

The financial report interestingly doesn't cover the latest period during which Hlaudi Motsoeneng haphazardly introduced a 90% quota for local music needletime on its radio stations and a barrage of failed local TV content that saw viewers flee. 

This will still  negatively impact on both TV audience share and advertising income, the impact of which will only become evident in the 2016/2017 financials.

In the latest report, the SABC admits further that its "SABC online websites did not fare as expected and delivered an 11% year-on-year growth rate in page views" far below the 15% target and blames social media like Facebook and Twitter.

The auditor-general (AG) slammed the SABC for not having "adequate document management systems in place to identify irregular expenditure" and that the SABC "incurred expenditure in vain, which could have been avoided had reasonable care been exercised that were not included in fruitless and wasteful expenditure".

The SABC admits that "high levels of fee payment evasion by SABC licence holders" continues. As the SABC continues to spend millions to try and gather SABC TV licence income, the income from SABC TV licence collection fees continue to go down.

While the SABC struggles and blames expensive international sports rights, having to cover events of national importance it apparently can't budget for, and investments in technology to switch out analogue equipment for the loss, its already indicated that it plans to create and broadcast even more TV and radio channels in future while its having problems scheduling content on its existing channels that attract audiences.

A 1 001 direct complaints

The SABC's latest 143 page financial report is once again filled with interesting, and some unintentionally funny, nuggets.

The first factual lies occurs on page 11 where the SABC says its SABC News channel on MultiChoice's DStv channel 404 "broadcasts mainly in English,with African-language bulletins provided during the evening slots". 

The fact is the SABC canned all the bulletins in vernacular languages in this channel during the reporting period.

The SABC reports that when it conducted evacuation drills at its Auckland Park headquarters, "no injuries or fatalities were reported".

While the SABC says in its report that the tap water in buildings was tested monthly and found "algae and cholera free", it bisarrely pays Freshy Water to supply the SABC with "premium-quality drinking water".

Actress Michelle Botes left the SABC3 soap Isidingo in 2014 but the SABC still includes a publicity image of her character Cherel in its financial report with Barker Haines.

The SABC touts its SABC Beauty Salon, popular under "the production crew of Generations and Ashes to Ashes" (an e.tv drama).

The SABC got 1 001 direct complaints, mostly related to SABC TV licences and people angry over SABC scheduling.

The SABC did "noise, air and light surveys". It is addressing waste management and is addressing the removal of "hazardous chemicals, which for the SABC, is flourescent tubes which contain mercury vapor".

New SABC CEO Frans Matlala reveals: SABC struggles to improve audience share, missed most revenue targets, wasteful spending continues.

The SABC's new CEO Frans Matlala in his first report to parliament since his appointment revealed that the public broadcaster struggles to improve audience share, that most revenue targets in late 2014 were missed, that the SABC overspend on sport and that wasteful and irregular spending continue to the tune of millions of rand.

Frans Matlala also blamed the bad South African economy and competition, SABC schedule disruptions, as well as the dramatic implosion at the South African Post Office - which is supposed to deliver accounts for SABC TV licenses - for a dip in the public broadcaster's revenues.

In his first performance and expenditure report to parliament as the SABC's new CEO, Frans Matlala today gave the portfolio committee on communications feedback on the SABC's position for the third quarter of 2014.

While the SABC's news report broadcast on SABC News (DStv 404) and SABC3 on Tuesday evening painted a very rosy picture of the public broadcaster and noting how "pleasing" it is to the minister of communications, Faith Muthambi, the story deliberately left out all of the more alarming details of the report back.

None of the following were reported on, or broadcast by, the SABC and SABC News:

The SABC continues to struggle to improve the public broadcaster's TV audience share which remains at 49% - below the set target of 52%. In order words, the SABC failed to lift its audience share as it was supposed to.

It was also revealed in parliament that marketing research done by one of the SABC's broadcasting rivals indicated that the SABC's drop in audience figures is apparently mainly as a result of perceived bias in SABC News coverage.

"During this period we had a challenge - particularly on the SABC TV side with our performance," Frans Matlala admitted to parliament.

"We missed our target by 2% due to two main issues. The one is from just immediately after the World Cup [when] we changed our schedules."

"We moved some programmes from SABC1 to SABC2, which is something that our viewers didn't like very much. And of course we lost audience there."

"The second one was Generations was cancelled [on SABC1] during that particular period and it took us a while to come up with an alternative," said Frans Matlala.

The SABC News channel on the DStv platform for which the public broadcaster receives millions of rand per year, is growing its viewership, but now has a daily average audience of 7 428 viewers.

On the 9 targets the SABC set for itself regarding "human capital" in the third quarter of 2014 the SABC met only 2. Seven were not met "due to capacity constraints and vacancies".

"The third quarter [of 2014] was financially challenging," Frans Matlala revealed to parliament's portfolio committee on communications.

"Our revenue targets, most of them were not met, except for our net financing income," said Frans Matlala. "The total revenue during this period was R2.099 billion - which was lower than budget by 9%."

"There are reasons for this unfavourable performance. A lot of them derive from increased competition, from the fact that most of our clients cut their budgets owing to contractions in the economy," said Frans Matlala.

Frans Matlala also blamed the South African Post Office for damaging SABC TV license revenue collection, saying that the SABC's TV licence fees were below budget".

"We depend on the South African Post Office to mail SABC TV license statements. During this period the Post Office experienced significant strike action."

"There were disruptions to our SABC schedules during this period. And of course the delays in approving the revised SABC licence tariff increase of 6%, which continues to put pressures on our revenues."

The SABC overspent on sport content that was not budgeted for.

Frans Matlala said that the SABC's lower revenues is due to things outside of the SABC's control.

"Its due to reductions in revenue from advertising, sponsorship, trade exchanges, SABC TV licence fees, and a lot of these depend on the appetite by the advertisers."

Frans Matlala revealed that irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure at the SABC continues.

During this period the SABC had R2.05 million in irregular expenditure and R820 000 in fruitless and wasteful expenditure, Frans Matlala revealed.

"One of the commitments that we make here is that where there are instances of avoidable wasteful and fruitless expenditure, the leadership of the SABC is always committed to ensure that action and consequences follow," said Frans Matlala.

"During October 2014 the SABC issued an RFP [Request for Proposals for productions] book with a total value of more than R600 million; making it the largest RFB book issued by the SABC for local content yet. It's a significant investment that will support the development of independent local producers," said Frans Matlala.

Some MPs referred to the SABC as "under-achieving".

Although it's in the public interest and members of parliament are tasked with oversight of the SABC, the chairperson of the communications committee on Tuesday blatantly blocked MPs from asking follow-up questions of SABC executives "in the interest of time".

MP Gavin Davis of the Democratic Alliance (DA) refused to back down and remain quiet. He tried to ask his questions of the SABC anyway -although not answered - while the chairman tried to silence him.

"If entities come here and mislead us, we have an obligation to put that right," said Gavin Davis. "Chairperson its unfortunate that you are quite happy to allow entities to come here to mislead us. And we are not even allowed to question them, when they mislead us."

"We are supposed to do oversight of the executives and you feel quite happy ...".

Faith Muthambi told parliament that "we all know and understand that the SABC is a state-owned entity under the guidance of the ANC led government. That's one thing we shouldn't be apologetic of".

After Hlaudi Motsoeneng bans Days of Our Lives, SABC3 ratings has now plunged 48% in just 2 months as a whopping 520 081 viewers have abandoned the timeslot.

SABC viewership of its struggling SABC3 channel has nosedived in the two months after Hlaudi Motsoeneng's banished the bulk of international content from the channel with SABC3's viewership that has plummented in the post Days of Our Lives timeslot by a massive 48.2% since July.

Not only has SABC3 lost nearly half of its total audience in what used to be the popular Days 17:00 timeslot, but even more importantly and shockingly is that the overall SABC3 primetime viewership has also plummented.

Meanwhile not a single one of the crop of rushed-to-air local shows on SABC3's primetime programming line-up has managed to crack the list of Top 20 most watched shows on the channel, while it costs the SABC a lot more to produce the increased burden of local shows, although viewers and advertisers flee.

SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago didn't respond to a media enquiry seeking comment about SABC3's ongoing ratings plunge and whether the public broadcaster is considering changes to Hlaudi Motsoeneng's 80% local content strategy for the channel that he enforced since mid-July for the broadcaster's only commercial TV channel.

With the hugely popular American weekday soap Days of Our Lives that lured a massive 1 078 101 viewers at its peak in July, SABC3 saw 40.51% of its total viewers abandoning the channel during the timeslot in August (falling to 641 388 viewers).

That loss accelerated and grew in a second consecutive month to 48.2% of viewers gone in September compared to July in the 17:00 timeslot with just 558 020 viewers at most in the timeslot. SABC3's 17:00 timeslot has now lost a staggering 520 081 viewers in just two months.

Overall SABC3 ratings depressed

The ongoing viewership plunge should be sending shockwaves through the SABC where advertising rates and what the public broadcaster can charge for 30 second ad spots are closely tied to the number of viewers the SABC can deliver in a timeslot.

Making it worse is that the loss of half of the viewership that Days of Our Lives pulled in the 17:00 timeslot is a daily loss that was stripped over weekdays. The loss in viewers translates into a daily revenue loss in terms of ad income for the SABC and SABC3.  

It's not just the replacement of Days of Our Lives with the local Afternoon Express talk show that's a ratings problem for SABC3.

While SABC3 lured an already low average AR (audience rating) of 2.13 during primetime for its top 20 most watched programmes during August, the channel saw its audience further ebb away to an average primetime AR of just 2.01 for its top 20 most watched shows during September.

Since this audience rating is for the most watched shows, it means that the viewership for the rest of SABC3 programming is even lower, and also that SABC viewers have completely rejected the raft of new local programming on SABC3 suddenly foisted on them.

Meanwhile metropolitan viewers do keep tuning to SABC3 specifically for its American films. 

Besides the American soap The Bold and the Beautiful remaining the most watched overall show on SABC3 in September with 1.17 million viewers, films like Abducted: The Carlina White Story, The Pursuit of Happyness, The Maiden Heist, Seven Pounds, As You Like It, Kick-Ass 2, Michael Jackson's This Is It, Life Support, Brighton Rock grabbed a whopping 9 of the top 20 most watched places in SABC3's September ratings.

It means that while Hlaudi Motsoeneng abruptly banished foreign content off of SABC3, viewers are rejecting the replacement local content for whatever reason and seeking out and watching the remaining American content like the films that still exist.

The local telenovela High Rollers saw an uptick from August to September from a still low 482 504 to 616 960 viewers and a 1.8 AR for its highest rated episode in each month, while Isidingo also saw a slight improvement from a 3.1 AR (1.03 million) to a 3.3 AR (1.11 million viewers) in September.

The stalwart local lifestyle magazine show Top Billing remains more popular than any of the SABC3's other new local programming in primetime. The most watched episode in September pulled 484 703 viewers.

SABC audience share falls again, down to 48.8%

While the SABC's TV channels SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3 attract audiences of 28.8 million, 26.9 million and 21 million viewers per week, the reality is that the SABC's average audience share fell yet again to 48.8% according to its just published annual financial report for 2015/2016.

That's down from 57% in 2011/2012 and 53% in 2012/2013.

The SABC admits that it missed its target of 52% and blames "increased competition and changing audience content consumption patterns" for its falling viewership share.

SABC2's bizarre decision to dump the 7de Laan weekend omnibus repeat is the same as if the SABC were to can SABC3's Isidingo.

SABC2's bizarre and abrupt decision to dump the 7de Laan weekend omnibus repeats on Sundays without prior warning is the same in overall viewership terms as if the SABC were to cancel SABC3's Isidingo.

The SABC's shock decision to can 7de Laan's afternoon omnibus repeats on Sundays so that SABC2 can "revitalise the Sunday afternoon schedule" has lead to a growing avalanche of complaints from SABC2 viewers.

So far SABC2 has chosen to remain silent and ignore viewers' complaints, with the channel that isn't responding to any of the comments from the flood of viewers begging SABC2 to bring the 7de Laan Sunday omnibus back.

Last week SABC2 channel head Gerhard Pretorius said SABC2 always listens to viewers and wants to hear from them.

The move, described by viewers as shortsighted, unfair and misguided, comes after a month in which the SABC lost over 18.8 million viewers - many switching to e.tv - during its schedule disruption in January to show AFCON 2017 soccer matches that didn't perform in the ratings.

As first noted by TVSA, the 7de Laan omnibus repeats on Sundays lure roughly 1.1 million viewers to SABC2.

This 1.1 million SABC2 viewers are tuned in to the channel despite it being during the afternoon and on a weekend when far less less viewers are available than during weekdays and prime time.

SABC3's local soap Isidingo pulled 1.3 million viewers for its highest rated episode in January during prime time.

Gerhard Pretorius' decision to dump the 7de Laan omnibus on Sundays, is therefore roughly akin to the SABC cancelling Isidingo.

The decision comes while the loss-making public broadcaster is already struggling to hold onto its existing audiences and to increase its SABC TV audience market share that in 2016 missed its target of 52% and fell further to 48.8% according to the SABC's latest financial report.

Oddly striking is that SABC2 decided to remove a proven repeat that delivers results, a sticky audience and loyal viewership, for new, unproven content, during a daypart where that effort and cost will be less effective than if new programming is actually directed and scheduled during SABC2's prime time where it's most needed.

It's also odd that SABC2 decided to cut the omnibus after it moved 7de Laan earlier from 6 February to 18:00 where even less viewers are now able to see it, and removing their ability to catch up.

While new content like 7de Laan is wasted by showing it too early, the SABC has no problem yet again rebroadcasting old rerun content like Vetkoekpaleis during prime time at 19:00.

Also odd is SABC2 announcing and lying to viewers that they can catch a repeat on SABC3 at 13:30 on weekdays where 7de Laan is not showing but SABC3 is showing news.

"So where exactly do your viewers belong? On YouTube?" asks SABC2 viewer Margaret van Tonder. "I hope you are taking note of how many people are disappointed in you, SABC2!"

This 6pm timeslot is just not working out!" says Neofabulous Ramafoko. "We've just come home from work, sorting dinner out, getting kids to bath, etc. 1pm we are at work so we can't see the repeat. As if that isn't enough: no omnibus!"

"The SABC is taking its viewers for granted," said Roberta Maluleka.

New SABC CEO Frans Matlala admits in parliament: Viewers totally HATE it and leave when SABC1, SABC2, SABC3 switch programming, disrupt schedules.

The new SABC CEO Frans Matlala revealed during his first report to parliament since his recent appointment as the public broadcaster's new top executive, that viewers totally hate it and tune out when the SABC switches programming from one channel to another between SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3.

Frans Matlala said switching programmes between channels like SABC1 and SABC2 seemed like an "innovative" idea, but blamed the move for a drop in audience figures in the latter part of 2014 and said the SABC had since reverted back to it "original" schedules for the channels.

The SABC's audience share remains flat at 49% for the third quarter of 2014 which the public broadcaster reported on and missed its target of 52%.

"From just immediately after the World Cup we changed our schedules," said Frans Matlala.

"We moved some programmes from SABC1 to SABC2, which is something that our viewers didn't like very much. And of course we lost audience there."

"The second one was Generations was cancelled [on SABC1] during that particular period and it took us a while to come up with an alternative," said Frans Matlala.

"Immediately after the World Cup we had to deal with the issue of Generations - that it had been cancelled - which had to be replaced with another property of ours, which is Skeem Saam."

"It took a while for the audience to get used to Skeem Saam, but far more importantly, we had to negotiate with the different advertisers on this particular change, and of course the [viewership and advertising revenue] figures were affected somewhat by this change," said Frans Matlala.

"Immediately after the World Cup we did some programme changes, mainly between SABC1 and SABC2."

"We moved some programmes from SABC1 to SABC2 and from SABC2 to SABC1 - which was an innovation which we thought in our minds would have made a lot of sense."

"A lot of our audiences came back to us to say that they don't appreciate those changes and we've since reverted back to the original schedules that we had for SABC1 and SABC2. So the reasons for the decline in our audiences are internal," said Frans Matlala.

BREAKING. South Africa's pay-TV households set to grow to 5,9 million by 2016 - PricewaterhouseCoopers' 2012 Media Outlook Report.

You're reading it here first. 

The third annual PricewaterhouseCoopers' South African Entertainment and Media Outlook 2012-2016 Report has just been released - and the section looking at South Africa's white hot television industry estimates continued, massive double-digit growth for pay-TV in South Africa as TV viewers want better and more television - and are willing to pay for it.

According to the report, pay-TV households in South Africa are set to grow from 3,7 million in 2011 to a staggering 5,9 million by 2016 - with subscription television reaching a phenomenal TV household penetration of 81,4% penetration by 2016 in the country.

According to the report the bad quality of content and limited choices on the SABC channels are the main factors underlying the migration of viewers away from the SABC and to pay-TV.

The report also predicts that social media is going to be a strong factor fuelling the uptake of subscription television in South Africa as viewers talk and interact around buzz-making, must-see television, and notes that "quality local TV content is becoming increasingly important".

According to the report, PwC predicts, based on current trends and information, that the total television advertising revenue in South Africa will increase at a projected 7,8% compound annual rate to a staggering R14,6 billion by 2016. Meanwhile subscription spending on pay-TV is set to continue double-digit growth through to 2015 and to rise to R21,8 billion by 2016, compared to R12 billion in 2011. That is 12,7% compound growth annually.

Meanwhile community TV stations in South Africa are beginning to generate measurable audiences and meaningful advertising revenue. According to the benchmark report, the SABC is facing increasing competition from pay-TV providers which is attracting viewers. The SABC will face further increased competition after the launch of digital terrestrial television (DTT) as even more free TV channels are rolled out.

Massive TV market growth, fuelled by uptake of pay-TV
The overall TV market rose 13,4% in 2011, fuelled principally by a 23,8% rise in pay-TV subscription spending. Advertising growth in the TV biz however slower to 4,2% from the massive 28% increase seen in 2010 due to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

According to the unbiased report, now conducted annually and which is fast becoming a must-read in-depth analysis of the local market, the online television advertising market  - helped by an expanding broadband household base - is likely to more than triple during the next five years to R44 million in 2016 from R13 million in 2011. Advertising revenue from mobile TV is estimated to reach R40 million by 2016.

According to the report TopTV "does not have have a meaningful sports offering and has scaled back on its plans to introduce high definition (HD) channels and a personal video recorder (PVR)."

The report states that "TopTV has encountered several problems over the past year, including not being able to secure meaningful sports content, billing problems, and losing third-party channels from its bouquet as a result of dwindling subscriber numbers. However, TopTV has managed to replace some of these with new channels".

"DStv's PVR service has been extremely succesful with more than 650 000 subscribers already using the service, a 37% increase from 2011."

Increased competition
"With the increased competition in the market, and with the proposed introduction of DTT, consumers increasingly want to have a service tailored to their specific needs," says the TV report. "As consumers increasingly want to select what they would like to watch, it is increasingly becoming more and more difficult for service providers to differentiate their service offering."

"M-Net produces various reality shows, the most popular being Idols and the recently-concluded MasterChef South Africa. Not only does this provide unique content not available anywhere else, but it also enhances M-Net and MultiChoice's presence on social networks," says the report.

"We believe that the huge popularity of social networks will benefit the TV subscription market." The report also states that "quality local TV content is becoming increasingly important".

"Locally-produced content is very expensive - higher viewer ratings, which in turn generate advertising revenue, are therefore required to make the investment worthwhile."

Limited pay-TV competition
According to the report, pay-TV competition in South Africa is limited, with MultiChoice and DStv and On Digital Media (ODM) and TopTV the only players. "Even if new licences are issued for both pay-TV and DTT in South Africa, it would take significant time for new market entrants to gain traction in the market and therefore we don't expect a meaningful change during the forecast period [-2016].

Rapid pay-TV household growth
The overall subscription household universe is growing rapidly, notes the report. "The number of pay-TV subscribers rose by 700 000 in 2011, the largest single-year increase in South African pay-TV history. Between 2088 and 2011 the subscription household base nearly doubled. The availability of popular sports on pay-TV has proved to be a major lure. Enhanced services for the high-end subscriber and discount packages for the less affluent have helped to expand the market."

"During the past three years, subscription household growth averaged 23,8% compounded annually. We do not expect this steep pace of growth to be maintained. With a majority of TV households in South Africa now subscribing to a pay-TV service, future growth will necessarily be more limited."

"In addition, the launch of DTT in late 2012 will provide an enhanced TV channel selection that will be largely available free, providing new competition for pay-TV. We expect that a growing DTT market will cut into subscription TV household growth during the latter part of the forecast period."

"We predict two additional years of double-digit growth in the pay-TV subscriber base," says the report. "by 2016, however, growth will drop to mid-single digit increases."

"The overall number of subscription households in South Africa will increase from 3,7 million in 2011 to a projected 5,9 million by 2016. Subscription household penetration will reach 81,4% in 2016 from 52,9% in 2011."

"With a significant number of households now subscribing to pay service, the SABC is facing the prospect of ongoing share loss. The quality of content and limited choices available on the SABC channels are the main factors underlying the migration of viewers to pay-TV. The launch of DTT will exacerbate this trend as broadcasters such as e.tv and M-Net introduce new TV channels on DTT bouquets."

TV RATINGS. South Africa's Broadcast Research Council on the impact of the loss of thousands of analogue TV households to the ratings system, Eskom's blackouts, the rise of streaming services and zero ratings and technicians struggling to get to TAMS panel households.

by Thinus Ferreira

Swaths of South African analogue TV households going dark as analogue transmitters are switched off in provinces without having switched to DTT and being "lost" as countable viewers, Eskom's blackouts wiping households off ratings metrics, a rise in zero ratings, technicians struggling to get to households forming part of the TAMS panel due to the Covid-19, and even a rise in available video streaming services, are just some of the massive challenges confronting the Broadcasting Research Council of South Africa (BRC) and the accuracy of measuring South Africa's TV ratings.

South Africa's TV ratings system is facing the same challenges, complaints and problems as Nielsen because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic making it more difficult to count available viewers and to track television ratings - with even some added issues as the country haltingly keeps lurching forward in its long-delayed switch from analogue to digital broadcasting and from Eskom's blackouts that it euphemistically calls "loadshedding".

In America, broadcasters are accusing Nielsen of severely undercounting TV households and negatively impacting on their television ratings - the currency used to peg ad rates - because of the Covid pandemic and lockdowns during which technicians didn't service people meter households properly and with households who moved or changed demographics.

It's not yet clear what exactly the impact has been and is with South Africa's TV ratings because of changes in counted TV households due to the ongoing Covid pandemic in the country, as well as the wiping of thousands of analogue TV households from the grid and thereby from eligibility to be counted in South Africa's TV ratings system.

The South African government and its communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams recently reneged on a decades-old promise and suddenly shockingly decreed that its flipping to a so-called staggered "hard switch-off" for provinces and ending analogue signal transmission even if all analogue TV households in a province or area haven't been migrated to digital terrestrial television.

The result is that people who made up part of the total South African TV universe and who watched television, disappear and have to be removed from the universe since they have a TV set but can't and don't watch TV any longer.

Earlier this year, the BRC announced that it planned to commission a more comprehensive TAMS (TV Audience Measurement Survey) audit due to the rapid changes in the video viewing landscape, a rise in zero ratings, loadshedding and greater challenges faced by technicians servicing the TAMS panel due to COVID-19. 

The BRC has now received a first interim report but says that it won't be sharing "the minutiae of the interim reports".

"We will not be sharing the minutiae of the interim reports, we will rather make the broader analysis of further interim reports available, covering separate areas, as we receive them," says Gary Whitaker, BRC CEO.

"The consolidated final TAMS audit report will be accessible to the industry towards the beginning of October 2021.”

The BRC says that there's been limited TAMS panel management over the past 12 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions surrounding the various lockdown levels.

"While the full audit is still being conducted, the current interim report covers, firstly, environmental review, a qualitative survey of factors including power supply, viewing on other platforms and devices and secondly, a deep analysis of the market landscape and its changes from recent years."

According to the BRC's interim report on its TAMS panel, several things are impacting the measurement of viewing performance.

There have been changes in the structure of TV households during Covid-19 as well as the services being used, like video streaming services over and in parallel to traditional broadcasting.

"As the market moves more to digital services like DStv, OpenView, DTT (digital terrestrial television) etc, the choice of channels increase to the consumer. This means less time spent watching the larger free-to-air (FTA) channels, resulting in more fragmented audiences," the BRC says 

"The decline in analogue homes has accelerated in the past couple of months and will continue as the government rolls out their plans to switch off analogue altogether."

Then there is also performance within platforms and TV channels' ability to maintain or grow its share of broadcast TV within a platform.

"For instance, the SABC has seen a decline in performance across all platforms," the BRC says. "As the structure of the market has changed, the make-up of FTA channel viewing has evolved. Analogue-only homes made up two-thirds of SABC average monthly audiences in 2019."

"By May 2021 the platform contribution of analogue-only dropped to 52%, with DStv, OpenView and DTT contributing more."

Then there are also questions around the share of broadcast TV as a proportion of total measured TV.

"There are strong indications that analogue and DTT homes are supplementing their viewing with non-broadcast content as more streaming media channels become available to South Africans. The stay-at-home lockdown that the country has been under over the past 18 months has accelerated this trend as families seek more home entertainment," the BRC says .

Eskom's blackouts and loadshedding also worsened an already bad situation for South Africa's TV ratings system and tracking.

"The impact of loadshedding/load reduction is more unpredictable and can result in significant declines in overall viewing in the short term," the BRC says.

"While the other factors investigated are more gradual and can be considered in planning, loadshedding and load reduction cannot be predicted - particularly weeks or months in advance. The impact on reporting samples is greater than the impact on ratings although the weighting process makes some corrections for the lower samples."

"According to the report, all these factors can and do impact performance and reporting samples and increase the likelihood of zero-rated spots. As we know, loadshedding is the most unpredictable and most severe of these factors."

Gary Whitaker says that in the meantime, certain recommendations have been made based on the current findings.

These include "minute-by-minute data" and that consideration should be given to moving the currency to minute-by-minute data as opposed to the current second-by-second data, as it will marginally stabilise the data at the most granular spot-by-spot level, whilst having no impact at a program and channel level".

Consideration should also be given to the timing and narrative around universe updates. 

"Timing should allow for plans to be adjusted which should encourage planners to confirm their schedules and projections. Possibly more trading target markets should be included in the comparative tables."

Looking at source data for planning, more recent weeks of source data would be the best source for planning as opposed to the same time a year ago, the BRC says.

In terms of South Africa's analogue TV signals switch-off, for free-to-air (FTA) channels, the impact of the analogue switchover should be factored in. "This is more relevant for middle to lower-income target markets," the BRC says.

"While loadshedding cannot be planned, from a post-campaign perspective the performance should also be run using 'Loadshedding No' included in the target market definition for a particular day."

"This will give the performance against the fully available target market. However, the software systems do not currently support PCAs over multiple days being run in this manner."

"The BRC is and will always strive to ensure that all of our data is correct, in good health, reflective of the situation and representative of the universe," says Gary Whitaker.

ALSO READ: Broadcast Research Council (BRC) to do a more thorough 2-month audit of South Africa's TV audience measurement panel after shrinkage and decay due to Covid-19 pandemic.

Daily Maverick reveals it was a bidder for MultiChoice's new local TV news channel on DStv, says that despite 'the all-round silence, no comments' around non-transparent bidding process and bidders list, the questions are not going to go away.

The Daily Maverick online commentary and news analysis publication on Monday morning revealed that it was one of the bidders who applied to run a new local TV news channel on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform  to replace the corrupt and cancelled "Gupta-news" ANN7/Afro Worldview that was shut down on 20 August.

MultiChoice's highly-fraught and controversial South African TV news channel war is once again hotting up with public calls for Naspers' pay-TV arm to be open and transparent and to stop the secrecy around its TV news channels dealings.

Political parties ranging from the EFF to the Democratic Alliance (DA), as well as broadcasting public pressure groups are calling on MultiChoice to release the Newzroom Africa contract, as well as the information around the various bidders who applied, and their eventual ranking.

It comes after MultiChoice last week announced that it has chosen Newzroom Afrika as the new 24-hour local TV news channel to replace Mzwanele Manyi's dumped Afro Worldview channel on DStv.

Newzroom Afrika will launch in early 2019 on DStv and will take the channel number of 405 on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform, the one where ANN7 that turned into Afro Worldview, launched and was dumped a week ago.

Newzroom Afrika, following after eNCA (DStv 403) and SABC News (DStv 404) will be made available to all DStv subscribers, meaning that it will have a wider reach that eMedia Investment's eNCA.

The two directors heading up Newzroom Afrika are Thokozani Nkosi of the production company Eclipse TV, and Thabile Ngwato of Rapid Innovation.

Daily Maverick, run by Branko Brkic as editor-in-chief, on Monday in an opinion piece by Ufrieda Ho, said that the Naspers-owned MultiChoice's dominance in the pay-TV sector "makes its operational decision-making processes matters of public interest".

"It has the de facto monopoly on subscription-based TV, with a 52% share and a penetration of 11.9 million households in 2017. Its influence in deciding who gets to launch a news channel, in the 2019 election year, makes its motives fair game for questions."

Daily Maverick quotes William Bird of Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), who says that MultiChoice's bidding process around the new local TV news channel has lacked transparency and openness from the beginning.

"The way MultiChoice is behaving - only telling the little they want to disclose to seem like they are making the effort to be transparent - undermines not just their own, but all, media credibility. It's why we've called for the shortlist of bidders to be made public and for clarity on ownership and who's funding Newzroom Afrika".

Jackie Rakitla, MultiChoice general manager of corporate affairs, in a quote to Daily Maverick said "We are not sharing the shortlist, evaluation and scoring of bidders as we are respecting the privacy of unsuccessful bidders who are employed within other media companies".

Daily Maverick said that "the all-round silence, no comments and off-the-record-only comment has caused rumours to fly - all of them untested - but unanswered, they are not going away".

M-Net touts local dramas, new kykNET bridge-building competition at showcase.

by Thinus Ferreira

At a blue screen showcase event for ad buyers on Thursday afternoon M-Net announced an Afrikaans reality competition show Die Brug for kykNET and touted the M-Net channel's premium international and local content line-up, including several upcoming Cape Town-set drama series for DStv.

 
M-Net that used to rule the roost with premium and exclusive shows thanks to output deals with major Hollywood studios had to cede some power over the past three years to the growing video streaming services – most notably Disney+ and Netflix – as several major studios also decided to keep their shiniest and most-desired new premium content for their own streamers which are not made available to DStv.
 
Thursday's DStv Media Sales annual event for M-Net channels in Johannesburg was an opportunity to show ad buyers where to park their clients' money and the reach that remains in traditional linear pay-TV in South Africa.
 
Nomsa Philiso (CEO of MultiChoice general entertainment), Waldimar Pelser (M-Net director for premium channels), Shirley Adonisi (M-Net director for local entertainment channels), Piwe Motshegoa (head of sales for general entertainment) and Lucasta Stephen (executive head of sales at DStv Media Sales) were all in attendance who took to the stage to show-and-tell about M-Net, kykNET and Mzansi Magic's current and upcoming programming.
 
While Thursday's event was held for ad buyers, M-Net has notably not held either an in-person or virtual upfront event for South Africa's media to showcase its programming in over three years since February 2020, in contrast to the SABC, eMedia's e.tv, BBC Studios Africa, Disney, Primedia, National Geographic, Netflix and others which have taken the gap to gain buzz and have all done content showcase presentation events for media over the past two years.
 
Speaking about MultiChoice's most expensive TV production yet – the Shaka iLembe historical drama series from Bomb Productions on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) – Nomsa Philiso told the crowd that "We did throw every cent we had into Shaka iLembe and we're proud to say episode one has now hit the four million mark [in viewership] and on the day of its premiere we had 50% audience share". 

Shaka iLembe will run for three seasons with the second season currently in production.
 
For kykNET, Waldimar Pelser announced an Afrikaans adaptation of the reality competition franchise series The Bridge which will run as Die Brug for 11 episodes from Thursday 26 October at 20:00.
 
The Bridge is an original Banijay format, created by Zeppelin, with the winner getting R1 million after contestants must work together to build a bridge, several hundred metres long, to an island. 

"The Bridge is not just a show, it's a global phenomenon that captures the interest of viewers around the world," Pelser said. 

"We are thrilled to be producing the local version of this hit franchise, bringing together the best South African talent, and showcasing our beautiful landscapes to create a series that will have audiences at the edge of their seats."
 
Also coming to kykNET the next few months are the Afrikaans medical drama series Hartklop from 18 July, a rugby game show Koppe Stamp, Laataand with Rian van Heerden as a late-night talk show, the cooking reality competition show Kokkedoor Vuur & Vlam, Dana Snyman as the presenter of a new spiritual lifestyle series Grondpad Geloof, and a new Afrikaans comedy series set in the world of private security entitled Taktiek from October.
 
The M-Net channel will continue to have the remaining episodes of Paramount's Yellowstone drama series when that's released later this year, as well as the various Yellowstone spinoff series, along with American crime procedurals.
 
M-Net also remains in original local drama series production with the BBC co-production Devil's Peak, based on Deon Meyer's novel and filmed in Cape Town which will premiere in the second half of this year on the channel. 
 
The channel will also unspool a second season of Reyka co-produced with Fremantle; as well as Quizzical Pictures and Fremantle's crime thriller White Lies also done in Cape Town. An as-yet-untitled 52-episode family drama series set in Simon's Town will start on M-Net in January 2024 on Sunday nights.