The Ministry of Communications and Digital Technologies congratulates the South African Broadcasting Cooperation (SABC) on attaining substantially increased viewership and greater market share.  The latest Broadcast Research Council (BRC) data show improved figures for the SABC News Channel which now leads the 24-hour news market in the country. The data also shows a 42% and 40% improvement in market share performance in the national (including DTT) and DSTV news markets, respectfully. This is a substantial improvement in performance compared to previous years.

The Ministry appreciates the crucial role that the public broadcaster is playing in keeping the public informed during this period of the novel Coronavirus pandemic. More importantly, the fact-checking that has been central in curbing myths, and disinformation during this period of COVID-19 has not gone unnoticed.

“While the pandemic has challenged journalists and producers in how they have traditionally conducted their work, they have nonetheless been innovative in finding new ways of bringing news and essential information to their audiences,” said Acting Minister Jackson Mthembu.

“We also appreciate and recognize the fact that SABC has achieved this outstanding milestone during a challenging time in the media industry, when media outlets are dealing with daunting financial and resource constraints,” Mthembu added.

The Minister further added that the SABC’s achievement was an encouraging signal which showed that the broadcaster was now on a stable footing and empowered to deliver on its public mandate.