SABC updates the public broadcaster's intellectual property policy; shifts more risk to producers with a bigger focus on co-producing.

The SABC board has changed and approved the SABC's Intellectual Property (IP) policy which not only comes into effect immediately but is also addressing major concerns of South Africa's television production sector and how the usage of their produced TV content is dealt with, and paid for.

The SABC says the new Intellectual Property policy of the public broadcaster will provide for a greater share of the content exploitation revenue - in other words, local TV producers will be able to make or earn more money from the selling or licensing of their content. It will however also shift more of the risk to producers taking on the financial endeavour of making a TV show.

The SABC shares a percentage of its net profits from content sales with local content TV producers on commissioned programming.

"The SABC remains cognisant of its role as the public service broadcaster to support and contribute to the development of the local production industry," says the SABC. "To this end producers must be empowered to the point where they can share more of the financial risk of production and not to be overly dependent on the SABC for funding."

The SABC says the broadcaster will "continue to 100% commission, co-produce and license content. In order to manage costs effectively, more focus will be given to co-production and licensing of content."