As millions continue to watch on analogue South Africa's deadline for switch to digital TV is pushed out again

by Thinus Ferreira

South Africa's latest switch-off deadline of 31 December 2024 for analogue transmitters in the country's long-delayed migration process to digital terrestrial television (DTT) has inevitably been pushed out yet again, now to 31 March 2025.

Millions more TV households who either haven't had their free set-box box (STB) installed yet by the government as well as the "missing middle" who earn more than R3 500 and must buy one - although none exist in retail - must still make the switch.

If these households in the four remaining provinces of Gauteng, the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape - collectively representing more than 50% of South Africa's population - suddenly lose their TV signals, they will be cut off from news and information. 

It will also prove disastrous for South Africa's broadcasters like the SABC, eMedia's e.tv and community TV channels like Cape Town TV (CTV) who will experience further debilitating viewership losses, with diminished ratings impacting advertising rates, and in turn cratering their ad revenue.

Around 174 analogue transmitters across these provinces are still on.

On Thursday evening Solly Malatsi, South Africa's 12th minister of communications and digital technologies dealing with the issue of the country's DTT transition, announced that the switch-off is once again being pushed out.

The deadline of 31 December is moved out by another three months to 31 March 2025.

The SABC asked the government for another 12 months' delay until 31 December. It's not clear what extension eMedia asked the department for. eMedia declined to say what period it wanted the deadline date to be pushed out by when asked in a media query. 

"This extension will ensure that as many indigent households as possible will enjoy their right to access broadcast services," says Solly Malatsi.

He said that the department "communicated this decision to the broadcasters and relevant stakeholders" in a meeting on Thursday "and commit to continue working together with them on this project".

"Their commitment to ensuring that the free-to-air households migrate is critical to the success of this programme."

"The postponement of the analogue switch-off deadline recognises the considerable delays that have plagued the Broadcasting Digital Migration (BDM) project since its inception and provides the necessary relief that makes provision for more time to migrate as many South African as possible before the final switch-off."

According to Malatsi, he has "directed the director-general to implement consequence management for any individuals responsible for failures within the department".

Around 467 000 poor households who have registered for the government-subsidised set-top boxes have not yet had these installed with STBs gathering dust in locked South African Post Offices and Sentech warehouses.

"There is no denying that the Broadcasting Digital Migration project has dragged on for far too long, costing the government R1.23 billion for dual illumination, which refers to the simultaneous transmission of both analogue and digital signals," Malatsi says.

No money has been budgeted for dual illumination for 2025 to keep analogue transmitters on and it isn't clear where the department will get the money from for the next three-month extension.

Since 2015 South Africa has spent over R12 billion on the switch to DTT.

"This process is costly and cannot be sustained indefinitely. More so, at a time when the fiscus is under extreme pressure," Solly Malatsi says.

"Our immediate focus between now and the end of March 2025 is to aggressively accelerate the delivery and installation of set-top boxes to indigent households to ensure that as many households as possible are prepared for the switch-off."

ALSO READ: DTT: South African TV's R12 billion, 496 000 undone, 'unmitigated disaster'

DTT: South African TV's R12 billion, 496 000 undone, 'unmitigated disaster'

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African government has spent over R12 billion on the "unmitigated disaster" that is the country's switch-over process from analogue to digital TV and will be forced to once again postpone the cut-off date at the end of this month since 469 000 households still need a free decoder and installation while many others who don't qualify must buy one.

While not a cent was budgeted for 2025 for South Africa's over-run and extremely costly and wasteful digital terrestrial television (DTT) migration process, Solly Malatsi - South Africa's 12th minister of communications still dealing with the incomplete issue - will very likely have to postpone the latest deadline of 31 December 2024 yet again.

It's not clear where the millions of rand will come from for next year to continue with dual illumination - the process of broadcasting the analogue and digital signals of TV broadcasters like the SABC, e.tv and community TV stations like Cape Town TV (CTV) - as well as to install set-top boxes (STBs) for poor households currently gathering dust in locked South African Post Office storerooms and Sentech warehouses.

A shocking 469 000 poor TV households - many with incomplete and outdated contact details - must get their government-subsidised STBs installed for free before the end of this month. Practically, this is an impossible task.

Besides poor households who qualify for a box, there are many more so-called "missing middle" TV households who must pay for a STB but don't see the urgency or need, might not have the money and can't even buy one since STB are not actually even available in commercial retail. These people must get either MultiChoice's DStv, or eMedia's Openview satellite TV services to switch from analogue to digital.

South Africa is ticking ever closer to having missed the international deadline to complete the switch from analogue to digital TV ... by a decade. The international deadline to which South Africa agreed was June 2015.

Since then the South African government has spent billions of rand and will miss its own deadline - constantly postponed - yet again when 31 December 2024 becomes 1 January 2025.

The government has spent far over R12 billion and pays between R130 million to R160 million per year for dual illumination. There is no money budgeted for this must-pay expense from 1 January.

The SABC, e.tv and community TV channels all want another extension of the 31 December cut-of date. 

If they suddenly lose millions of TV viewers who lose their analogue TV signals without being able to watch TV further, they lose viewership - something immediately picked up by the South Africa's TV ratings system gathering and compiling TV ratings daily.

When broadcaster's viewership plunges, they have to adjust their advertising rate cards, charging less for ad spots due to fewer viewers. This will have a devastating impact on their revenue, especially the already crippled SABC. 

Besides revenue, viewers will lose access to news and public information services, again damaging the SABC.

The SABC asked the department of communications and digital technologies for a deadline extension of another 12 months to 31 December 2025. It's not clear what extension of the deadline eMedia requested and eMedia declined to say in response to a media query when it was asked.

The SABC says its planned satellite TV service with SABC TV channels as an internet-enabled and connected decoder, will target this "missing middle" TV households, similar to the millions of households who have made a once-off payment to buy eMedia's Openview satellite service.

There remain 174 analogue transmitters across the country's most populated four provinces which must be switched off at the end of this month in Gauteng, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

When these transmitters are switched off in these provinces - collectively representing more than half of South Africa's total population - millions of viewers will be wiped from the TV ratings system and lose television signal access.

Khusela Diko, chairperson of the portfolio committee for communications and digital technologies, told parliament that she doesn't "want to be called alarmist but I think this issue is really an unmitigated disaster".

The SABC'S Sentech blackout over non-payment of R1.3 billion pushed out for another 2 months

by Thinus Ferreira

South Africa's embattled public broadcaster won't have its signals cut over non-payment for the next two months.

The cash-strapped and technically insolvent SABC is battling two major existential threats.

Firstly the SABC is facing signal loss and having the signals from its TV and radio channels axed by parastatal signal distributor Sentech which the SABC simply stopped paying and owes over R1.3 billion. Sentech has threatened that it will cut the broadcaster's signals.

Secondly, the SABC that has experienced a massive TV ratings loss due to it already, faces the dire threat of having millions of its viewers completely wiped away when the South African government plans to switch off the last of South Africa's analogue signal towers on 31 December before viewers have been properly help to migrate to digital terrestrial television (DTT) options.

Now Solly Malatsi, South Africa's latest minister of communications and digital technologies, says he has intervened to prevent Sentech from axing the SABC's signals for at least another two months.

That gives the SABC some further breathing space on the one problem, although Malatsi remains silent on the SABC's looming analogue switch-off disaster which is as pressing a problem.

Malatsi in a statement says he intervened and set up a meeting between the SABC and Sentech to find a solution to the SABC's inability and unwillingness to pay Sentech and the risk that South Africans would be cut off due to the SABC's non-payment.

Malatsi says the latest agreement is that Sentech "will not switch off the public broadcaster for at least the next two months while we are exploring options to have a long-term sustainability model for the SABC".

"These options include National Treasury's decision on the application by the SABC to reclassify its grant which would allow for part of its allocation to be used to pay Sentech for signal distribution services."

Malatsi says "While the SABC has been making steady progress towards improving its financial standing, the fact is that it has not been able to fully pay Sentech for services rendered. At the same time, Sentech is at risk of running out of cash due to the non-payment, a risk that may even affect other broadcasters".

"I am determined to prioritise the development and finalisation of the financial model for the SABC to ensure that it becomes sustainable, able to pay its creditors and to deliver on its core function of providing accessible, diverse, and impartial news, entertainment, and educational content to the public."

South Africa's SOS Coalition demands moratorium on country's analogue TV switch-off date of 31 December 2024 as millions of TV households face blank screens.

by Thinus Ferreira

With millions of TV viewers set to lose basic access to television channels like the SABC at the end of the year, the SOS Coalition demands that the South African government immediately stops it plan to flip the kill-switch on 31 December on the last of the country's analogue TV transmitters.

Millions of South African TV viewers still rely on analogue TV signals to receive and watch the SABC and other broadcasters like e.tv's TV channels.

South Africa's government and the department of communications botched the country's long-delayed digital migration plan and switch-over from analogue to digital terrestrial television (DTT). 

Delayed more than 15 years and marred by corruption, industry in-fighting, multiple dragged-out court cases, fights over everything ranging from formats and set-top boxes (STBs) to encryption control, as well as tender scandals, undue commercial influence, government incompetence and budget run-overs, the government is adamant to switch-off the last of parastatal sign-distributor Sentech's analogue transmission towers.

While outdated, subsidised STBs for the poor that cost millions to manufacture and procure are gathering dust, unclaimed in locked South African Post offices countrywide and while those that were handed out already broke down, the South African government will cut off millions of indigent households from the signals of the SABC and others on the last day of this year.

While the SABC already took a massive viewership knock over the past three years as millions of its viewers were wiped off the country's TV ratings system after viewers lost the ability of receive public broadcasting television signals, eMedia's e.tv remained mostly unscathed as it refused the switch-off of its analogue signals.

eMedia isn't against the DTT switch-over but told the government that it can't switch off its analogue e.tv TV signals if millions of viewers don't have the ability to watch or receive DTT. 

Although the government-run process is severely flawed and already more than a decade behind schedule, eMedia over the past two years cautioned the government that even more time is needed and that DTT has actually become an outdated broadcasting system which has already been surpassed by better technology.

Now the SOS Coalition, broad industry coalition association that advocates for proper public broadcasting, has launched a "Save Free TV" campaign in South Africa, demanding that the South African government imposes a moratorium on its plan to finally shutter analogue TV signals at the end of December.

The SOS Coalition says the initiative is "an urgent and necessary campaign aimed at safeguarding the constitutional right of access to information, in particular free-to-air (FTA) television, for all South Africans to access".

"This campaign comes in response to the ongoing broadcast digital migration process and the imminent threat posed by the scheduled switch-off of the analogue television signals on 31 December 2024".

"The Save Free TV campaign demands that the department of communications and digital technology immediately halts the analogue switch-off until critical measures are implemented to ensure millions of households do not lose access to FTA TV, their primary source for vital news, information, and entertainment."

Millions of SA viewers will lose access

While millions of poor South African households who qualify for a free STB has not received one, South African households who are not "poor enough" and who have to buy one for themselves to switch from analogue to DTT, can't do so.

The SOS Coalition says analogue TV shouldn't be killed off before at least 85% of poor TV households don't have a STB.

"We demand that the minister of communication and digital technologies impose a moratorium on the switch-off of any further analogue transmitters. We demand an agreed threshold of 85% for the roll-out of STBs to indigent households, and a timeframe for the procurement/availability of DTT kits in retail stores," the organisation says.

It also wants "a nationwide publicity and campaign on the analogue switch-off to ensure no-one is left behind" for the department "to investigate the future viability of DTT compared to direct-to-home (satellite TV), as well as an exploration of the cost of signal distribution and sustainability of DTT.

"The transition from analogue to digital broadcasting, while a significant technological advancement, poses a grave threat to access to free-to-air television," the SOS Coalition says.

"With between 2.2 million to 4.5 million households still reliant on analogue TV, the government's failure to effectively roll out STBs and raise public awareness regarding registering for a government subsidised STB and the implication of analogue switch-off, could result in millions losing access to essential information and services," the SOS Coalition warns.

"In an era where misinformation is rampant, the availability of credible and free news sources is more critical than ever. The Save Free TV campaign aims to ensure that no South African is left behind in this digital transition and that everyone can continue to exercise their right to accessible and reliable information."

The SOS Coalition has now started an online petition as part of its call for the postponement of the analogue switch-off date in South Africa.

A million decoders: The South African public broadcaster wants to start a SABC satellite TV service.

Thinus Ferreira

The South African public broadcaster which has no money to pay for the project itself, is looking for a company to manufacture a million decoders and start a SABC satellite TV service for it for free.

The technically insolvent SABC - struggling with falling TV ratings and declining viewership through audience erosion due to rival streaming and satellite TV - now wants to start its own SABC satellite TV service, or direct-to-home (DTH) service.

The SABC is looking for a company to bear 100% of the cost to set up its SABC satellite TV service, manufacture and distribute set-top boxes (STB), and to create and run a call centre for five years.

As part of the extremely ambitious requirements, the SABC wants 100 000 decoders of what is supposed to be a million eventually, pushed to market by the end of the year when the last of its analogue TV signals are switched off.

The SABC is envious of eMedia's Openview satellite TV service which has surpassed 3.42 million activated decoders by the end of March this year since e.tv launched Openview a decade ago in October 2013.

Openview helped to buffer e.tv against TV ratings erosion, gave e.tv another entry point into homes, allowed eMedia to launch its own multi-TV-channel offering and start a subscription bouquet as an additional revenue stream. 

The SABC wants its own 4K-resolution enabled STBs to carry its own existing collection of SABC TV channels, as well as its 19 SABC radio channels.

From SABC DTT to satellite TV

According to the public broadcaster, South Africa's severely botched, almost two decades-delayed process of switching from analogue broadcasting to digital terrestrial television (DTT) has severely damaged its once-entrenched market position.

SABC audience sizes keep diminishing which negatively impacts its advertising income as more and more SABC viewers are cut off and switch to other broadcasters when they can no longer get SABC signals.

eMedia has already said that South Africa's TV switchover from analogue to DTT technology is outdated, damaging the country's TV and broadcasting industry, and consumers have leapfrogged past it.

The SABC dabbled in its first satellite TV service almost thirty years ago when it launched its own AstraSat in 1996 a year after MultiChoice started DStv in 1995.

The SABC blew millions of rand on starting AstraSat which massively damaged the broadcaster financially when AstraSat launched with a bouquet of the SABC's TV channels and a few others like M-Net which packaged a special SuperSport "lite" channel for AstraSat that the SABC paid for similar to the sport sublicensing deals it does with SuperSport now.

Just a year and a half later in February 1998 the SABC was forced to cut its enormous losses and abruptly shuttered AstraSat to rather concentrate on its existing analogue broadcast network with distribution done by Sentech.

In a tender document, the SABC says it needs its own satellite TV service to combat the "devastating effect of analogue switch-off on viewers on 31 December" and that the creation of its own satellite service will enable the broadcaster to take control of its future broadcast destiny and to "position the SABC as a content aggregator, to add additional TV channels to the existing bouquet and to consolidate audiences through a single platform".

The SABC says DTT is severely limiting and doesn't allow it to grow its number of TV channels, nothing that its existing offering of six SABC TV channels are an extremely weak value offering since rivals easily offer 10 or more channels.

The SABC notes that the delays in rolling out DTT have eroded SABC viewership while competitors grew their ratings at the cost of the public broadcaster. 

The SABC says that it is in danger of losing another 1.7 million viewers by 31 December when Sentech cuts the last of its analogue transmissions countrywide.

Sentech already switched off 198 analogue signals from transmission towers across several provinces, cutting off millions of viewers who can no longer get SABC reception through the TV sets they used to receive it.

SABC satellite decoders

Now the SABC wants a satellite TV service again with a partner that will have to shoulder 100% of the operating costs - including establishing and running a call centre and the manufacture and distribution of decoders.

According to a new SABC tender for which applications closed on Monday at noon, the SABC prefers that whichever company takes on the multimillion-rand project, uses the IS20 satellite transponder which MultiChoice, as well as eMedia and Sentech, have already been using for their DStv and Openview satellite TV services.

By using the IS20-transponder, households with an existing satellite dish installation to watch DStv or Openview through those decoders, will be able to simply plug-and-play the SABC's service by connecting the SABC decoder to the existing satellite dish cable.

According to the SABC, the already existing network of installers and agents of DStv, Openview and Startimes SA's StarSat would then also be able to do installations of the SABC's STBs.

The successful bidder will have to carry the cost of satellite transponder uplinking and the full capital expenditure of a "turnkey-solution" for the SABC which will run into millions, "at no cost for the SABC".

Besides the first 100 000 decoders to be manufactured, the SABC eventually wants a million decoders in the market for its satellite TV project, with a 50/50-share between a basic type of decoder and a more luxury, hybrid type STB.

The basic SABC decoder will just work with a normal satellite TV dish mounted outside, while the more expensive hybrid STB - similar to eMedia's latest Openview OV512 decoder - must offer built-in Wi-Fi 802.11 functionality and be able to connect to the internet.

This more expensive SABC decoder will have to offer the broadcaster's SABC+ streaming service and allow viewers to record, download and store content and programmes, similar to MultiChoice's DStv Explora decoders.

By the end of September, the SABC wants to see a manufactured prototype decoder which the successful bidder must "demo" to the broadcaster in a presentation, before mass production starts - preferably somewhere in South Africa according to the SANS-1719 requirements.

The SABC says it projects to have a million users of its own SABC satellite TV service after half a decade.

It's unclear how the SABC expects the successful bidder to make money from the project or recoup its massive investment, although the SABC says it expects the partner to make a "profit-sharing" proposal.

In June the SABC fired its COO and head of video entertainment, while its ad boss resigned, after they were found guilty of deliberately hiding an ad revenue profit-sharing agreement with Discover Digital which got a contract to run the broadcaster's SABC+ video streaming service.

SABC: Looking for a turnkey solution

The SABC confirmed to me that the broadcaster wants its own satellite TV service, done for the SABC as a complete turnkey solution.

"The SABC can confirm that the organisation is in pursuit of the development and implementation of a free-to-air (FTA) direct-to-home (DTH) solution as an additional platform strategy," Mmoni Seapolelo, SABC spokesperson said in response to questions.

"It must be noted that this is the implementation of the SABC's long-standing digital transformation strategy which includes building SABC-owned platforms and being present in multi-platforms with capabilities for multi-channels, as well as futureproofing the organisation."

She says "Like any other strategy journey, there are priorities as well as milestones and as such, the SABC has recently successfully implemented the OTT platform, SABC+. The next step is the implementation of the DTH platform."

"In terms of DTT, the SABC is already on the DTT platform. Therefore, the introduction of a DTH solution is another strategy in line with the SABC's mandate to provide universal access."

"The SABC is looking for a partner to collaborate with, in providing this solution. The SABC will provide content and the partner will provide other elements as covered in the turnkey solution".

An industry expert told me that a SABC satellite TV service "is a good idea which should have happened years ago since the SABC could have had a satellite TV service of its own now, with the market penetration and audience that Openview and e.tv currently have".

"It's a big risk however for whoever takes on this massive project - and for free. Perhaps the SABC should ask Elon Musk to do it - he has the satellites and he's got billions he can lose."

The SABC launches SABC Education as a new TV channel, will debut 4 May 2020 on YouTube and on DTT.

by Thinus Ferreira

The South African public broadcaster as part of its digital terrestrial television (DTT) offering will launch a new TV channel, SABC Education, on 4 May that will initially be available for streaming on YouTube and be available for free through DTT decoders.

SABC Education is the first new TV channel that the broadcaster is launching besides its SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3 channels set, as well as its SABC News (DStv 404) and SABC Encore (DStv 156) channels carried on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service.

The SABC is far behind on rolling out new TV channels as part of its DTT offering, citing a lack of funds for the mandated switch from analogue to digital television broadcasting in South Africa.

SABC Education will carry educational programming from the department of education, archived shows from the SABC library, as well as educational programmes seen and available on SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3.

The SABC says that other platforms for SABC Education will hopefully be added later. SABC Education will be a linear DTT TV channel, with additional educational programming that will be streamed on digital platforms.

The digital streaming of the channel will be carried using the SABC Education portal, SABC Education Virtual Academy (SEVA), social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and other SABC channel websites.  

Madoda Mxakwe, SABC CEO, says in a statement that "The launch of the channel is timely, as the nation requires these interventions to fill gaps that have been created by Covid-19 related adjustments. In particular, this initiative will ensure that education and learning continues outside the traditional classroom environment".

"The introduction of the SABC Education channel is in line with our education strategy which has been in the pipeline for some time."

Right2Know calls for urgent, full and transparent investigation into possible state capture of South Africa's TV and broadcasting sector.

The Right2Know organisation (R2K) and public pressure group in an open letter is calling for an urgent, full and transparent investigation into how possible state capture of South Africa's TV and broadcasting sector, and how this alleged state capture has impacted broadcasting and public broadcasting in the country.

Right2Know, in its open letter, is urging Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, chair of the judicial commission of inquiry into state capture, to investigate what R2K refers to as "evidence and allegations of state capture and associated corruption in South Africa's broadcasting sector".

Lazola Kati and Dale McKinley of R2K say that R2K aligns itself with a previous submission done by the SOS Coalition and Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) non-profit organisations and public pressure groups acting as media and broadcasting watchdog organisations in South Africa.

In September 2018 both SOS and MMA submitted a joint statement to the commission asking for an urgent investigation into the extent of state capture in South Africa's broadcasting sector.

R2K refers to "serious allegations in the public domain" as part of the reason for a full and transparent investigation that is needed into South Africa's broadcasting sector.

This in part relates to Naspers' MultiChoice pay-TV operator (that will be listing on the JSE at the end of this month), the notorious Gupta family's now-shuttered ANN7, the SABC as South Africa's public broadcaster, eMedia Investments' e.tv, Faith Muthambi as South Africa's former minister of communications and the department of communications.

Big unanswered questions remain around South Africa's seriously delayed and allegedly "hijacked" switch from analogue to digital terrestrial television (DTT), a process known as digital migration that has been fraught with delays, corruption, infighting and incessant changes.

Evidence "strongly suggests that various actors colluded to shape South Africa's broadcasting policy and sector to their advantage," says R2K.

This severely affected "ordinary South Africans' access to affordable and quality public media and telecommunications".

Khalik Sherrif in aspirational and first public speech as new eMedia CEO says e.tv's free-to-air satellite TV service Openview is transitioning 'from the outbuilding to the main house'.

In his first public speech as new CEO of eMedia Investments, Khalik Sherrif says e.tv's rebranded and fast-growing free-to-air digital satellite TV service, Openview, is moving to the "main house", shedding its image as a TV service just for domestic workers and granny.

In a fiery and aspirational public speech at the exclusive black tie launch event of Openview's new TV commercial, Khalik Sherrif who took over as new eMedia CEO since the beginning of this month, weighed in on Openview's growth, future prospects and ambitions, and the platform's role in South Africa switch from analogue to digital terrestrial television (DTT) - a process known as digital migration.

The experienced veteran TV executive who has been with eMedia for over 15 years, started with an anecdote of how e.tv that in October celebrated two decades of broadcasting in the country, helped to change and shape the South African television landscape.

"When e.tv started, nobody gave us a chance. Twenty years ago they said, 'What do those guys know about TV? Who are they? They are not going to last?' Twenty years later we are still here and we are growing because we dared to be different over all those years."

"When all of you grew up watching the TV news at 20:00 on the SABC, there came these little fellas and they said 'South Africa, stop. Don't watch your news at 20:00 anymore, watch your news at 19:00. And we moved the whole nation."

"When we put our eNews at 19:00 so many years ago, everybody else put the news at 19:00. Do you know why they did that? Because we said 'Watch the news on e.tv at 19:00 because by 20:00 it's history' and they came along to join us at 19:00."

About digital terrestrial TV migration - the switch from analogue to digital TV in South Africa, Khalik Sherrif said "8 million South African TV households have already been migrated - 6.5 million on DStv and 1.5 million on Openview."

"South Africa has 14 million TV households which means that another 5.5 million TV households still need to be migrated."

"We had a meeting with the department of communications, saying 'We will help you to get to the other 5.5 million'. The department of communications will give R400 per household that can't afford to buy a set-top box (STB), and they will go out to the market, and they will buy a box."

"The department of communications has 500 000 more STB to sell and they're not manufacturing any more. They will buy a box and they will buy Openview. Why? Because for the first time in the South African landscape there is world-class television in high definition (HD), for free," said Khalik Sherrif.

"People in South Africa will buy a STB at any of the retailers for about R400 and will then have world-class television - 20 channels on Openview at the moment; all of the SABC - SABC1, SABC2, SABC3, and all of e.tv - and e.tv isn't just one channel any more."

"There is eMovies, there is eExtra, eReality, there's OpenNews, there's Star Life, there are plenty of them," said Khalik Sherrif, "with Openview growing at 30 000 to 35 000 box activations per month."

Openview: Transitioning from the outbuilding to the main house
"We started Openview on this premise: When the government was pushing digital television to us, the little fellas in Hyde Park realised the following - that we need to own some property in the TV space," said Khalik Sherrif.

"The SABC is the public broadcaster. MultiChoice has their property in Randburg which is the DStv decoder. What do we do? If MultiChoice is fed up of us one day and kicks us out, where do we take our channels? If we maybe don't like the [government-supplied] DTT [STB] performance because it's inferior and standard definition and not high definition, what do we do?"

"So we decided 5 years ago, let's launch our own little thing. We started it with OpenView HD, and now it's Openview.  Let me tell you, when we started it, we made some mistakes. We made some mistakes," said Khalik Sherrif.

"And the mistake we made is that we positioned it for the outbuilding. We didn't think about it really. People were buying it for the outside house. If it was not for the helpers, it was for granny. Today you are witnessing the transition of Openview from the outbuilding to the main house - that's where we belong," said Khalif Sherrif.

"Mark my words: Openview is going to be the biggest thing in South African television. Why do I so confidently say this? Because throughout the world, traditional pay-TV is declining. Free-to-air television viewing is increasing."

"If you visit the United Kingdom, you'll know that the most popular medium of receiving television is Freeview - not Sky, not BT. Freeview. Why is this so?"

"While a lot of people are lucky enough to be able to afford pay-TV, they're not watching it because they're watching Netflix. We're streaming this; we're getting Amazon Prime Video. So you're viewership of traditional pay-TV is declining and you're viewership of Netflix is increasing."

"And as that happens, people are coming to the realisation of 'What am I really paying them for? I'm not watching them anymore?' And when you seize to pay them, when you stop paying for television, you know what will happen? You won't throw away your TV set because your lounge suite has to face somewhere," said Khalik Sherrif.

"The TV set belongs in the lounge and when you stop paying for TV and your TV set is not receiving pay-TV anymore, your TV set will receive something else - it will receive Netflix, it will receive Amazon, it will receive Google. It will receive Apple. It will receive Facebook."

"But you will also need to know the local news, you will also need to catch up with the local TV soapies, you will also need to know the local gossip, so you will have Openview. Don't say to anybody I didn't tell you," Khalik Sherriff concluded.

Democratic Alliance political party reveals ANC party is branding digital terrestrial TV set-top box messages as election marketing; says communications minister lied about new mid-2019 deadline from the ITU to complete digital migration.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) political party wants to know why a logo from the ANC political party and ANC election messaging is appearing on pamphlets encouraging South African to collect free, government-sponsored set-top boxes (STBs) - the decoders people need to watch digital terrestrial television (DTT) as part of the South African government's botched and long deyaled digital migration process from analogue to digital TV.

The DA's member of parliament, Marian Shinn and the party's shadow minister of telecommunications and postal services, on Sunday in a statement said the pamphlets "is a blatant abuse of taxpayers' money and must be stopped".

She also revealed that the department of communications' latest new deadline of June 2019, apparently instituted by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) after South Africa missed all of the other previous deadlines including the 17 June 2015 deadline, is apparently bogus.

"The minister of communications now claims that a new deadline of mid-2019 has been agreed to with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a date that coincides with South Africa's next general election".

"Correspondence I have had with the ITU office in Geneva, shows that there is no 2019 deadline for South Africa," said Marian Shinn.

"A parliamentary question I submitted to the minister asking documentary proof of the 'new' deadline has not been answered," said Marian Shinn.

Marian Shinn says she has written to communications minister, Nomvula Mokonyane, the cabinet leader of the Broadcasting DigitalMigration (BDM) project of which the DTT set-top boxes are a component - and responsible for its marketing "to put an immediate stop to the flyers' distribution and have them destroyed".

"I have also written to the ANC National Executive Committee member, Dr Siyabonga Cwele, minister of telecommunications and postal services, who is responsible for the government entities procuring and distributing the decoders to demand an investigation within the ANC to determine who instigated the abuse of a government-funded project under his watch for election purposes and to hold these people to account."

STBs are currently being given out to poor South African households who have to prove that they're earning less than R3200 per month.

The much-delayed digital migration project aims to bring all broadcasting in South Africa from analogue to digital, freeing up spectrum bands to be used by mobile broadband products and services.

Various misguided political decisions, as suspicions over MultiChoice's alleged undue influence on the government's policy regarding conditional access (encryption) of the government-sponsored decoders, as well as drawn-out in-fighting and court battles between MultiChoice and e.tv, as well as other broadcasters and manufacturers, have delayed South Africa's DTT process for a decade.

The parastatal signal distributor, Sentech, wasting R150 million per year due to the South African government's failure to switch to digital terrestrial television (DTT).

The state-owned broadcasting signal distributor, Sentech, that relays TV broadcasters' signals in South Africa, loses R150 million per year due to the government's incompetence and delays in the far-behind process of switching from analogue to digital terrestrial television (DTT).

While Sentech is burning through hundreds of millions of rand every year in waste due to the drawn-out switch, a process known as digital migration, Sentech is owed millions of rands by the struggling public broadcaster, SABC.

Siyabonga Cwele, the minister for telecommunications and postal services, speaking at a press conference before his department's budget vote speech in parliament, revealed that Sentech is wasting R150 million per year.

South Africa is years behind in the DTT switch and missed the globally imposed deadline to finish the switch from analogue to digital broadcasting by June 2015. The government is also on track to miss the latest imposed deadline to complete the process by June 2019.

"The delay in digital terrestrial television migration is costing Sentech about R150 per annum in dual illumination," said Siyabonga Cwele said.

So-called "dual illumination" is where an analogue and a digital version of the same signal from the same broadcaster is being relayed,for instance the existing analogue broadcast version of SABC1, as well as a broadcast version of SABC1 for digital reception.

"We need to finalise the digital migration next year in order to release spectrum to telecommunications network providers as directed by the International Telecommunications Union," he said.

M-Net is switching off its analogue signal to M-Net decoders at the end of March - if you're one of these M-Net subscribers who haven't yet switched, here's what you need to do right now.

Pay-TV broadcaster M-Net is switching off its analogue M-Net signal to its M-Net decoders by the end of March.

Many M-Net subscribers have not yet switched to a specially customised M-Net GOtv package and a new digital decoder, and these longtime M-Net viewers are going to completely lose their signal in just over a month's time. 

People still watching M-Net through a M-Net decoder must call DStv extremely urgently on the specially dedicated number of 011 289 2270.

These M-Net subscribers will be helped so that they can be switched to either a special M-Net GO package of GOtv that includes the M-Net channel, or the DStv satellite service.

Many of these mostly older and Afrikaans speaking M-Net subscribers are not aware that they're going to lose their service, or have simply not bothered to switch to a digital M-Net channel version.

M-Net can no longer continue to keep its obsolete analogue M-Net decoders going and has to switch these subscribers over as part of the overall South African TV industry's change from analogue to digital terrestrial television (DTT), a process called digital migration.

It's however been difficult to get a hold of all of these legacy M-Net analogue subscribers, and M-Net and MultiChoice haven't had a ready-made like-for-like package available to switch these subscribers to.

MultiChoice South Africa's DTT pay-TV service GOtv doesn't have the premium M-Net channel included, but MultiChoice and M-Net did now create a special M-Net GO package that does have the M-Net channel included and is only available for existing M-Net analogue subscribers.

MultiChoice says that it has has been talking to our M-Net analogue customers for the last 3 years about digital migration.

If an existing M-Net analogue subscriber is in the growing GOtv DTT reception area where the digital signal can be received, they get a GOtv installation with M-Net GO.

MultiChoice says this "is a special package we created just for them which has M-Net and CSN included with free-to-air channels and costs the same as their current M-Net analogue."

"If they are not in the DTT reception area, they get a DStv satellite installation with M-Net GO."

MultiChoice is footing the bill of the switch-over and M-Net analogue subscribers don't have to be scared that it will cost them anything,or that they will lose out, or lose access to M-Net.

"To assist these long-time loyal customers, we pay for the decoder, the installation set-up and arrange for an accredited installer to come out at our expense."

"We’ve tried, unsuccessfully, to get hold of many of our M-Net analogue customers, so are now playing out a ticker tape across their screens asking them to contact us on 011 289 2270 so we can assist them."

"There is a variety of different options, depending on the current set up the customer has," says MultiChoice.

"Some M-Net analogue customers already have a DStv set up, while others just have their M-Net analogue. That is why it’s important that customers get in touch with us, so we can give them the offer that applies to them."

"M-Net analogue customers will get a much better viewing experience once they migrate – they’ll have clearer picture and sharper sound quality. They’ll also, for the first time, get access to the electronic programme guide (EPG) so they can see what is currently showing and what is up next."

"We’re committed to help our M-Net analogue customers to migrate in the next month or two. As we’ll be switching off this service at the end of March, it is important that customers act immediately," says MultiChoice.

Broadcasting regulator Icasa confirms it will now investigate allegations of possible kickbacks and corruption over MultiChoice payments to ANN7 and the SABC and the possible influence on SA's digital terrestrial television encryption policy.

South Africa's broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa), has confirmed that it will be launching a wide-ranging investigation into allegations of kickbacks and possible corruption into suspicious MultiChoice payments made to the SABC and to the controversial and until recently Gupta-owned ANN7 (DStv 405) channel.

Icasa has referred the complaint to its Compliance and Consumer Affairs division.

At issue is whether Naspers' pay-TV division illegally influenced the South African government's policy on encryption of set-top boxes (STBs) for the stalled digital migration process from analogue to digital terrestrial television (DTT), by paying the SABC and ANN7 to carry their channels, and through them, get them to apply pressure on the government.

Explosive, leaked meeting transcripts between MultiChoice and the South African public broadcaster the SABC, as well as #GuptaLeaks contracts between MultiChoice and the controversial ANN7 D(Stv 405) channel showing massive payments from DStv to the Guptas, have raised multiple serious questions over corporate impropriety.

MultiChoice told the SABC it would pay the broadcaster R100 million for the SABC News channel but but only on the strict must-have contract clause condition that the SABC must support MultiChoice's stance on conditional access (CA) for digital television.

MultiChoice also dramatically upped its payments from R50 million per year to R100 million per year and then R141 million per year, as well as a questionable, additional R25 million payment to the Guptas for the low-rated, bad quality, mistake-filled and often criticised ANN7.

MultiChoice is paying ANN7 more despite its barely there low ratings than eNCA (DStv 403) that has more than 50% of the overall TV news audience share.

It's all created the perception that MultiChoice has paid kickbacks to both the SABC and ANN7 to use its influence to get set-top box (STB) encryption dropped from government-subsidised STBs in the switch to digital terrestrial television (DTT).

MultiChoice and Naspers have denied the kickbacks allegations and the MultiChoice board announced that MultiChoice is starting an internal investigation of itself.

"Icasa has confirmed that it will be conducting an investigation into MultiChoice," says Phumzile Van Damme, the Democratic Alliance's shadow minister of communications and a member of parliament in a statement.

Phumzile Van Damme's statement comes after the political party publicly called out Icasa over its failure to start a wide-ranging investigation into the shocking MultiChoice allegations 8 weeks after the scandal broke. 

"The DA is pleased that Icasa has agreed that the payments require investigation. South Africa deserves to know whether the payments were indeed above board‚ as MultiChoice has maintained‚" says Phumzile Van Damme.

"While companies like MultiChoice should be allowed the space to do business and create much-needed employment‚ their conduct must at all times be within the bounds of the law‚ in line with business ethics and in an environment where competition was not stifled."

"There is no issue with companies lobbying for policy positions through debate‚ but a situation where policy is bought cannot be allowed. It is tantamount to policy capture."

Democratic Alliance once again calls on Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to urgently investigate SA's botched digital TV switch and bungled set-top box tenders 'marred by irregularity and corruption'.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) political party is once again calling for an urgent investigation into South Africa's controversial procurement process of the government-sponsored set-top boxes (STBs) needed for the government's long-delayed and botched switch to digital terrestrial television (DTT),a process known as digital migration.

The Democratic Alliance member of parliament, Marian Shinn, says South Africa's Public Protector, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, can no longer ignore the urgent need for a wide-ranging probe into the STB mess.

The renewed call comes as even MultiChoice, providing the DStv satellite pay-TV service, is now being dragged into South Africa's DTT mess.

Marian Shinn says in a statement that the DA party has once again written to the Public Protector to ask that the Public Protector's office proceed with the investigation as South Africa's switch to DTT from analogue broadcasting - something that is years behind schedule - "is marred by irregularity and corruption, which needs to be urgently investigated".

The DA says its initial request to the Public Protector, acknowledged on 8 August 2017, was for her office to probe the procurement process for the government-subsidised set-top boxes,to investigate alleged tender irregularities and possible unlawful decision-making, and to determine whether the digital migration process needs to be "cancelled and rerun".

"Three months later and there seems to be little to no process," says Marian Shinn.

"This past week the #GuptaLeaks revealed how Tony Gupta acted as a channel between MultiChoice - a key protagonist in the set-top box encryption battle - and former minister of communications, Faith Muthambi, to change the digital terrestrial broadcasting policy in MultiChoice's favour, which she did."

"Today is has come to light that the Haws raided 13 of the 26 firms involved in the STB tender, following a 10-month investigation by the Competition Commission into collusion in the process."

"These revelations, in conjunction with the PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) investigation into the process, clearly indicate serious procurement irregularities or criminal acts had been commited and must be acted upon," says Marian Shinn.

"Repeated requests to the chairpersons of the communications and telecommunications and postal services portfolio committees to hold 2-day hearings into the entire digital terrestrial broadcasting process have also failed to materialise, despite being included in the committee programmes of each term this year," says Marian Shinn.

Political parties demand parliamentary inquiry into MultiChoice's allegedly 'corrupt' and 'unethical' dealings with Gupta-linked ANN7 and Faith Muthambi.

Political parties are demanding a parliamentary inquiry into MultiChoice's allegedly "corrupt" and "unethical" dealings with the controversial Gupta family and its highly-criticised ANN7 channel, as well as the controversial former minister of communications, Faith Muthambi.

Both the Economic Freedom Front (EFF) and Democratic Alliance (DA) reacted swiftly to fresh revelations that MultiChoice is paying ANN7 a staggering R141 380 000 per year for the low-rated and little watched channel.

ANN7 has been much criticised for its ongoing mistakes, biased coverage and for allegedly inciting racial discord in South Africa using DStv's platform to do so.

MultiChoice also made a dubious R25 million once-off payment to the Guptas for ANN7.

Both the Economic Freedom Front (EFF) and Democratic Alliance (DA) political parties on Friday called for a parliamentary inquiry into MultiChoice's allegedly "corrupt" dealings with the Guptas and politicians over the ANN7 channel.

The DA's member of parliament Phumzile Van Damme told TVwithThinus that "we believe that this issue be investigated by parliament, as part of the broader State Capture inquiries undertaken by the different committees in Parliament."

"We are in particular seriously concerned about MultiChoice, and what appears to be unethical conduct in this regard relating to the Gupta family. We intend on getting to the bottom of this."

The EFF's member of parliament Mbuyiseni Ndlozi in a statement says "The EFF condemns the corrupt relations of MultiChoice and Faith Muthambi which suppressed competition within the pay-TV industry with disgust".

"The recent revelations in the #GuptaLeaks show how Faith Muthambi as minister of communications worked with the Guptas to solicit bribes in exchange for protection of MultiChoice from the competition".

"Koos Bekker's company, MultiChoice, paid millions to the Guptas, through ANN7, in exchange for Faith Muthambi to adopt the policy of unencryption in the set-top boxes for digital terrestrial television (DTT) migration."

"The Guptas, through their influence on Jacob Zuma and Faith Muthambi, managed to guarantee their stay on the DStv platform whilst being remunerated unreasonable amounts of money despite their low audience numbers," says Mbuyiseni Ndlozi.

"It is clear that MultiChoice was paying them for securing a DTT policy in relation to set-top boxes that would maintain them as the sole players in the pay-TV space."

'The EFF calls on parliament to hold an inquiry into the Gupta influence over Faith Muthambi. In this inquiry, companies like MultiChoice must be held accountable publicly for their criminal activities in the sector, suppressing competition in favour of their domination."

"The EFF will also be reporting MultiChoice to the Competition Commission to investigate how they influenced the policy on set-top boxes in favour of their market domination."

DAILY TV NEWS ROUND-UP. Today's interesting TV stories to read from TVwithThinus - 5 October 2017.

Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:

■ SuperSport allegedly grabbed the T20 Global League cricket rights for a discounted $5.8 million.
But SuperSport on Wednesday said no deal has been signed and that it remains in discussions with Cricket South Africa (CSA).
According to reports, the initial ticket price of $10 million is lower since SuperSport has "increased expenditure" to set everything up at short notice. Cricket South Africa (CSA) allegedly also had to tone down and cut down on the costs of the tournament. Haroon Lorgat got fired as CSA CEO last week after his failure to get foreign broadcasters to sign on.
- ESPN reports an announcement will be made on Thursday and that Cricket South Africa will look to see how the cash-strapped SABC can be accomodated.

■ MultiChoice Nigeria, StarTimes and other pay-TV providers shocked at the unilateral tax relief given to new competitor TStv.
Even Nigeria's corrupt National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is dumbstruck, saying the minister of information and culture "made that announcement. He is the one that can explain better".

■ Ordinary Zambian TV viewers still in the dark about the country's failed DTT switch-over process.
Zambia was supposed to complete the switch to digital terrestrial television (DTT) by 1 October 2017 but hasn't.

■ In a world without TV, what do we call TV?
We continue to call them "TV shows" even though a larger number of programming isn't being watched on actual TV sets.

■ Ugly TV tower loses its babies.
The tallest building in the Czech capital, Prague, is without its landmark babies - now teenagers - for the first time in 16 years.

■ TV censorship alive and kicking in Hong Kong.
Censorship overdrive as words and images are censored out, similar to what is happening in Africa.

■ Local TV station, Royal TV, in Rwanda has shut down.
50 out of jobs after loss-making TV channel is closed down after just over a year.

■ Australia's other TV channels want out of its local drama content quotas.
Wants Australia's public broadcaster, ABC, to be responsible for local content and they also want to completely get rid of having to do original children's programming.

■ Entertainment Weekly is moving from East to West.
The magazine is relocating its New York headquarters and staff to Los Angeles.

■ FX's John Landgraf pens an open letter about Silicon Valley's obsession with Netflix and Apple.
"Wall Street is wrong about the bets it is not placing on the future of the strongest TV brands. People still go to HBO, Showtime, AMC, Starz, BET, Nat Geo and numerous networks for a great new original series".

■ HBO's CEO on Netflix's massive content spend: "More is not better, only better is better".
HBO says the pay-TV channel will continue to "spend what we need to spend" to keep up its reputation for prestige programming.

■ Men earn 9% more at the BBC than women.
If this is the gender pay gap at the BBC, how much bigger is it at the SABC?

New minister of communications Ayanda Dlodlo: 'My expertise is in other areas', admits she knows little of digital TV migration, doesn't know if Hlaudi is still being paid.

South Africa's new minister of communications, Ayanda Dlodlo in an interview admitted that her expertise is in other areas, that she knew little of South Africa's digital terrestrial television (DTT) migration process before starting her new job this week, said she doesn't know if Hlaudi Motsoeneng is still being paid and that the SABC is going to be one of the most difficult organisations to deal with.

The former deputy minister of defense in an interview on the SABC's Morning Live on Thursday said her appointment as South Africa's new minister of communications after an abrupt cabinet reshuffle by president Jacob Zuma late last week came as a surprise since "my expertise is in other areas, but obviously, the president knows what's best".

Ayanda Dlodlo said digital migration - South Africa's long-delayed and controversial process of switching from analogue to digital TV broadcasting - is "a learning experience for me because I've heard people talk about set-top boxes (STBs) and digital migration, but I've never understood the context of what it actually meant".

South Africa's DTT process and roll-out has been besieged by government and broadcasting regulator ineptitude, differing commercial interest, allegations of corruption with STB manufacturing, in-fighting between broadcasters, in-fighting between manufacturers, uncertainty over broadcasting and manufacturing standards, slow government-subsidised DTT distribution to poor viewers, uncertainty over encryption inclusion, and dragged out court cases.

Ayanda Dlodlo said she's meeting with the broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa), the SABC, manufacturers next week and a lot of stakeholders and roleplayers to implement DTT "as soon as we can". "We can't afford another delay."

She said the most important thing for her is "to get the SABC back on its feet".

"Everybody that I speak to says to me 'please get that place in order'. So that's the most important thing, getting the SABC afloat financially, ensuring that the SABC board is fully functional, but also ensuring that the acting positions are done away with."

"People must go back to their positions, people must start working, we appoint a new CEO. All of that work needs to be done as soon as yesterday," said Ayanda Dlodlo.

She called the SABC's situation with the beleaguered public broadcaster, once again on the brink of financial collapse like in 2009, "extremely worrying".

On Wednesday Ayanda Dlodlo "had a meeting with the minister of finance to try and sort out the issues around the financial status of the SABC. There are processes we've decided upon, that will be implemented soonest."

Ayanda Dlodlo said she thinks the SABC "is going to be one of the most difficult institutions to deal with. Over years, the SABC over years has had problems. And it's not because of Hlaudi Motsoeneng or whoever was the CEO. I think it was just a structural issue."

"I don't even want to put the problem on one individual or one set of a leadership team as being the only problem, or the problem. I want to be a little more focused on the broader picture than looking at individuals. How does the system work."

Ayanda Dlodlo was asked if the famously matricless and controversial former chief operating officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng is still being paid and still an employee of the SABC.

"Well, I don't know," she said. "I do not know at this point."

BREAKING. e.tv wins digital TV box encryption case as Supreme Court of Appeal slams minister Faith Muthambi's policy change as 'confused', 'irrational'.

e.tv has won its court appeal over the South African government's controversial digital terrestrial television (DTT) policy, once again throwing the long-delayed switch to digital TV into further turmoil.

The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in its scathing judgment slammed the minister of communications, Faith Muthambi, as "confused", her decisions as "irrational" and found that she failed to consult South Africa's broadcasters and TV industry properly over multiple changes to the country's digital TV migration policy, most notably a far-reaching decision to allow for non-encrypted decoders.

In the switch from analogue to digital TV, a process known as digital migration, South African TV households have to buy a new set-top box (STB) for around R800 (households earning less than R3200 get a subsidised free box) to keep watching free-to-air TV channels like the SABC and e.tv which will in addition to their existing channel offering start additional channels.

After the original DTT policy said STBs will be encrypted and contain what is known as conditional access (CA), a form of STB control similar to a M-Net decoder, Faith Muthambi suddenly announced that free-to-air services will have non-encrypted decoders.

MultiChoice and the SABC - with the SABC now producing channels for DStv in a contract worth hundreds of millions of rand - supported the decision on non-encryption for free-to-air TV channels' offering.

e.tv was against the decision and argued that it won't be able to compete since it won't be able to provide high definition (HD) channels and premium content because premium content providers, especially international suppliers, won't readily give content to a broadcaster who can't limit possible piracy.

e.tv, together with the public broadcasting civil society groups SOS Coalition, Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) and the industry body Namec took minister Faith Muthambi to court and the North High Court found in the department of communications' favour.

e.tv however decided to appeal the decision and now the Supreme Court of Appeal has found in e.tv's favour.

This comes after the department of communications already ordered 1.5 million non-encrypted STBs from various local manufacturers - decoders that don't contain conditional access hardware and software.

The judgment means more disruption in the process already long-delayed with the South African government that has, after years of court battles, infighting, scandals, constant regulatory changes and bureaucratic bungling missed the internationally agreed to deadline of June 2015 by which to complete the process. In South Africa the commercial DTT phase has not even begun.

The Supreme Court of Appeal slammed Faith Muthambi's decisions as "irrational", saying she misunderstood the massive impact of the non-encryption signal issue on South Africa's TV industry.

The Supreme Court of Appeal in its scathing judgment also slammed Faith Muthambi for failing to properly consult with the TV industry and broadcasters.

"Minister Faith Muthambi's failure to consult, based upon her misunderstanding of what the 2015 amendment signified, was taken in a procedurally unfair manner, and was irrational," says the Supreme Court of Appeal in its judgment that finds that e.tv would be unable to compete with pay-TV providers.

"The Minister's confusion as to the effect of the amendment shows its irrationality, and for that reason too it is in breach of the principle of legality and invalid. The appeal must succeed on the ground that the amendment was made in an irrational and thus unlawful manner and is inherently irrational as well".

The judgment founds that Faith Muthambi failed to consult properly with South Africa's broadcasting regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa), the Universal Service & Access Agency of South Africa (Usaasa), and broadcasters like e.tv and others over the change to non-encryption for the digital TV regulations change.

"The failure by minister Faith Muthambi to consult Icasa and Usaasa is even more egregious given their statutory duties. So, too, the failure to consult the appellants (e.tv and others), all of whom had an interest in the policy, was quite simply irrational."

e.tv's spokesman Vasili Vass told TVwithThinus that the broadcaster is working on a statement.

In a statement from the SOS Coalition and MMA the groups say "this judgment is not only a victory for e.tv, ourselves and and the people of South Africa in respect of the benefits they will derive from government-manufactured STBs outfitted with encryption technology. It is also a victory for our constitutional democracy."

In a statement Faith Muthambi's spokesperson Mish Molakeng says "The Supreme Court of Appeal has not ordered the reversal of the broadcasting digital migration policy or interdicted the implementation of this key national project."

"Digital terrestrial television (DTT) has the potential to radically transform the value chain of the broadcasting and telecommunications systems, thereby creating a new industry trajectory that will assist in addressing the triple challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequality."

"Noting this judgement, on Friday June 3, Minister Faith Muthambi will be in Kwaggafontein in Mpumalanga driving registration for set-top-boxes for qualifying television owning households."


Find the full Supreme Court of Appeal judgment below:

Supreme Court of Appeal judgment on etv South Africa DTT

A SABC TV licence no longer required to get a free government subsidised set-top box for digital terrestrial television, says communications minister Faith Muthambi.

Poor South Africans will no longer be required to have a SABC licence or a paid-up SABC TV licence to qualify to receive a free government subsidised decoder in order to keep watching the SABC's digital terrestrial television (DTT) channels.

The minister of communications, Faith Muthambi, made the announcement in her communications budget speech in parliament on Friday.

South Africa is years behind in the switch from analogue to digital terrestrial TV signals, a process known as digital migration. South Africa missed the internationally agreed deadline of June 2015 by which to complete the switch-over.

It requires South African TV households without satellite TV to buy what is known as a set-top box (STB) - basically a TV decoder of around R800 and in a lot of cases a new antenna - in order to keep watching existing and future-added TV channels when the analogue signals of TV channels are turned off.

The government is subsidising these free STBs for millions of poor households, but during registering in some of the provinces where the process started, they had to provide proof of a valid SABC TV licence.

Problems started when families were turned down.

It meant that millions of households in South Africa would eventually start to lose their free-to-air TV access and channels, like those from the public broadcaster.

This would be damaging to the SABC with the public broadcaster that would eventually start to lose viewership market share as it starts to gradually lose ratings and the audience who watch SABC channels, but don't have a SABC licence.

Now these households will be able to get a subsidised government STB to continue their free TV access although they don't have a SABC TV licence or a paid-up licence.

Faith Muthambi's announced regarding the de-linking of the TV licence requirement from the STB subsidy registration process comes after a meeting between the SABC and the department of communications.

"We have in the recent past noticed a slow registration take-up due to the TV licence requirement and insufficient funding to connect the public and] consumer awareness campaign," Faith Muthambi told parliament.

She also said that she told the SABC to "clean up their TV licence base to have accurate and reliable information on who owns a TV set in South Africa to enable proper infrastructure planning".

The Support Public Broadcasting Coalition (SOS Coalition) welcome the move to drop the SABC TV licence requirement for STBs, saying "this will certainly reduce the burden on South Africa's poor, and accelerate and widen their ability to access set-top boxes so that no-one is left behind in the digital migration project".

SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago didn't respond to a media enquiry made two weeks ago asking why the SABC agreed to dropping the SABC TV licence requirement for a DTT set-top box.

In addition, Faith Muthambi on Friday announced in parliament that analogue TV signals will only be switched off after 80% of the existing analogue TV households have migrated and switched to DTT.