Lulama Mokhobo presented the SABC's new 3 year Corporate Plan for 2012 - 2015 to parliament. The SABC plans to have a total of 18 TV channels (which will include the current SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3).
The SABC plans to launch its new 24 hour news channel to replace SABC News International, as well as its sports channel, SABC Sport, first. The SABC's head of sport, Sizwe Nzimande said the plan is to launch SABC Sport on 1 October this year.
Lulama Mokhobo told parliament that the SABC's new 24 hour news channel will be launched in the 2012/2013 financial year. Depending on funding, the SABC wants to launch 12 new channels over the next 3 years and 6 of them by the middle of next year.
Lulama Mokhobo told parliament that the SABC will aim to maintain a 58% average TV share by 2014/2015 despite increased TV competition. The SABC wants to maintain its audience share through quality TV productions and a huge investment in local TV content.
She said cheaper pay TV options is encroaching on the market share and audience the SABC always had. Consumers and viewers are increasingly migrating to cheap pay TV bouquets of MultiChoice and TopTV which is placing pressure on the SABC. New entrants such as M-Net's new Mzansi Magic (DStv 107) TV channel on MultiChoice's DStv platform as well as TopTV as a pay TV operator is increasing the demand for local TV content.
The SABC will invest R1 billion in 2013 on TV content; R800 million of which will be for local programming commissions. Lulama Mokhobo said the SABC will have to present "compelling programming" for the SABC to keep viewers.
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