Soaps remain the most watched genre on television in South Africa while sport comes in only in the 9th place.
Television viewership numbers and research released by the South African Audience Research Foundation (Saarf) which issues South Africa's TAMS data (Television Audience Measurement Survey), finds that with an average daily reach of almost 2 million South African viewers, soaps remain the most watched genre on TV in the country.
Just over 1,862 million free-to-air and pay-TV viewers tune in for daily soap operas on South African television running the gamut from a mining community, ad agency and fictional commercial street throughfare to a tabloid newspaper work environment, hospital, guest house, family fashion empire and American smalltown life.
Generations on SABC1 remains in the perennial first place as South Africa's most watched soap and overall most watched TV programme.
According to TAMS, soap operas pull in just under 1,4 million more viewers on average each day in South Africa that the next ranked genre: educational programmes.
Drama holds the third spot (358 237 viewers daily), followed by movies in 4th place, then actuality programmes and news programming ranked as the 6th most watched genre in South Africa on television daily. Advertising is 7th, reality programming holds the 8th position (186 274 viewers daily) and then sport in 9th place (169 649 viewers daily). The last genre is magazine programmes, ranked in 10th place.
On pay-TV, sport is ranked marginally higher in 5th place (89 087 viewers daily).
On pay-TV soaps still come in first with 357 521 viewers on an average day, followed by movies (175 271) attracting half the audience that the soaps do. Reality television pulls the third biggest audience on pay-TV (113 350 viewers) with drama fourth. A number of dedicated music channels makes music the 6th most watched genre for the pay-TV viewing audience in South Africa.
News on pay-TV fills the 7th position with 75 123 viewers daily; with actuality, educational and variety shows ranked 8th, 9th and 10th in South Africa.
