Johannesburg – Thursday, 25 March 2021 – eMedia Investments, the company behind free-to-air satellite service Openview, and the SABC, have announced a ground-breaking new distribution agreement that will enhance both companies in the free-to-air category of television broadcasting.

The collaboration between South Africa’s fastest-growing satellite network and SA’s most established broadcaster signals a seismic shift in the country’s broadcasting landscape.  With this agreement the SABC ensures that its content, in all its formats, continues to resonate with the prescripts of its public mandate, and more so in providing universal access to credible content. The agreement also guarantees High Definition broadcast quality and free access to the SABC’s television network wherever you are in South Africa. For Openview this agreement enhances its strength in the DTH space with additional content and a solid binding collaboration with the Public Broadcaster.

In addition to carrying SABC 1, 2 and 3, Openview will carry three additional television channels from the Public Broadcaster and all its 19 radio channels. Through this agreement the SABC is officially entering the free-to-air satellite market which will supplement its channels on DTT and streaming platforms.  First amongst the three new channels will be a standalone SABC Sports Channel that will launch on Openview soon.

Openview’s aggressively growing base of 2.3 million households will have access to four SABC television channels, with two more to be announced in due course, and 19 radio stations, including the biggest South African radio brands – Ukhozi FM, Metro FM, Lesedi and Umhlobo Wenene.  This enables previously geographically restricted FM radio channels to be received throughout the country via digital broadcasting on a free-to-air basis.

Notwithstanding this agreement at the platform level, the SABC’s broadcasting services will continue to compete for audience and advertising with eMedia-owned channels and services, as they currently compete on the analogue network.

Commenting on the new multi-year signal distribution and channel carriage agreement, eMedia Investments COO, Antonio Lee, says, “This is an exciting development for both the SABC and ourselves.  The agreement ushers in a new level of collaboration between a private free-to-air satellite platform and public free-to-air broadcast services. There is no doubt it will boost the offering of Openview and will extend the SABC’s audience reach.  We can now offer our Openview audience additional quality content and access to digital broadcast radio in the widest variety of languages possible in South Africa.  We hope this is the start of a stronger and more fruitful relationship between Openview and the SABC”.

According to the SABC’s COO, Ian Plaatjes, “This agreement enables the SABC to grow its channel offering and reach into the digital broadcasting space with three additional HD television channels. The first channel to be launched will be an SABC Sport Channel and will be distributed simultaneously across Openview, DTT, Telkom One and other streaming platforms. This collaboration will enable the SABC to optimally exploit its rich sport content rights and leverage the Openview reach to provide an improved integrated sport value proposition for our advertising clients across platforms. The agreement also enhances the distribution of SABC radio stations to create an increased value proposition for our radio advertising inventory.  The other two TV channels, to be announced within the next 3 months, will leverage extensive SABC content and archived material.”

Openview and the SABC believe that this agreement will expedite digital migration from analogue-only households to digital broadcasting platforms with more compelling free-to-air channels and content. Together with the DTT platform, Openview provides audiences with a free HD alternative to both analogue terrestrial and pay satellite options.

Openview boxes can be purchased at all leading retailers nationwide.

ENDS

Issued By:                              Group Communications

Media Enquiries:                    Ms. Mmoni Seapolelo SABC Spokesperson (Acting)

seapolelomv@sabc.co.za  | T. 011 714 3057 | C. 073 688 1590

Issued By:                              Marketing Manager Openview

Media Enquiries:                   Ms. Chantelle Virgillito

chantelle.virgillito@etv.co.za  | T. 011 537 9530 |

Johannesburg – Sunday 14 March 2021 – The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has learnt with shock and sadness of the passing of veteran South African actor Menzi Ngubane and distinguished actress, Noxolo Maqashalala.

Johannesburg – Thursday 11 March 2021 – The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is pleased to announce the appointment of four Business Managers (BM) to oversee six of its radio stations. These critical appointments form part of the new structure of the corporation’s Radio portfolio that will ensure audience and revenue growth. The public broadcaster congratulates the following Business Managers on their respective appointments and wishes them well in their new roles:

–        Ms. Sbongi Ngcobo, Business Manager – Ukhozi FM. Ms. Ngcobo began her career at the SABC as Marketing Manager for trufm. Before this appointment, she was Ukhozi fm’s Acting Station Manager, a position she held from February 2018. Ms. Ngcobo holds a BA degree from the University of Natal (now University of KwaZulu Natal) where she majored in English and Media and Communication for her undergraduate degree and Cultural Media Studies in her Honours Degree. Ngcobo has also studied a People Management Programme at Gibs Business School.

–        Mr. JD Mostert, Business Manager: PCS Combo (5FM and Good Hope FM). Mr. Mostert, previously the Station Manager at 5FM, is a media enthusiast with more than 12 years’ experience in the media industry. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Gordon Institute of Business Science Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), has a Post Graduate Diploma in General Management (PGDip) from Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), as well as a Bachelor of Commerce in Business Management (BCom) from the University of Pretoria.

–     Ms. Louise Jooste, Business Manager – RSG has been with RSG (and the SABC) for just over 14 years, where she played an integral part of the station’s strategy and illustrated through many successful marketing campaigns how powerful the Afrikaans radio station and its audience are. She has also been more involved in the daily operations of the radio station as acting Program Manager, working closely with the current Station Manager to continue driving one of the top brands of the SABC. Ms. Jooste holds an Honours Degree in Communications from North West University and complemented it with Business Management studies at Wits Business School.

–        Mr. Madikana Matjila, Business Manager – Limpopo Combo (Munghana Lonene FM, Thobela FM and Phalaphala FM). Mr. Matjila previously held the position of Station Manager at Thobela FM since January 2020. Mr. Matjila is a professional radio broadcasting manager, who possesses career experience and formal training in radio production, community media and broadcast policy and compliance. He holds a Master’s degree in Media Studies from the University of Limpopo, an Advanced Radio certificate from the University of Witwatersrand and a Performance Management certificate from the Turfloop Graduate School of Leadership.

The public broadcaster will announce the Business Manager’s for the Fortune Combo (SAfm, Radio 2000 and Lotus FM), Eastern Cape Combo (Umhlobo Wenene FM and tru FM), Inland Combo (Motsweding FM and Lesedi FM) and Mpumalanga Combo (Ikwekwezi FM and Ligwalagwala FM) once the appointments have been finalised.

ENDS

Media Enquiries: Mmoni Seapolelo (Acting Spokesperson)

seapolelomv@sabc.co.za | T. 011 714 3057 |C. 073 688 1590

SABC RADIO ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF FOUR RADIO BUSINESS MANAGERS

Johannesburg – Tuesday 09 March 2021 – The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) welcomes the judgment of the Gauteng High Court, in the matter between the SABC and the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF).

Johannesburg – Friday, 19 February 2021 – SABC Sport is set to offer non-stop adrenaline football action for soccer-loving audiences in the coming days. This Saturday, SABC Sport will broadcast the DStv Premiership match of the week live, when Kaizer Chiefs take on Supersport United at 15h00 on SABC 1. For those with a taste for European soccer, the Bundesliga will bring a match billed the potential league championship decider, when defending champions FC Bayern Munchen travel to 3rd placed Eintracht Frankfurt. The match will also be showcased live on SABC 3 at 16h00 and on the TelkomOne platform, the SABC Sport’s DTT channel, and live streaming via sabcsportonline.co.za.

Johannesburg – Friday 12 February 2021 – The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is saddened by the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) incident concerning one of its female news employee based in the Free State.

Johannesburg – Thursday, 11 February 2021 – In commemoration of World Radio Day, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) Thought Leadership Series, will host a live panel discussion under the theme ‘The future of radio is still digital – but which one? Expert perspectives and future scenarios for radio in the 21st century’.

Johannesburg- Monday, 08 February 2021 –  SABC Sport, is pleased to announce that, as part of its Free-to-Air (FTA) rights to the English FA Cup, it will broadcast four selected matches of the 5^th round of the FA Cup, live on SABC 1 and SABC 3 from Tuesday 9 February until Thursday 11 February 2021. The matches will also be available on the TelkomOne platform, SABC Sport’s DTT channel, as well as live streaming via sabcsportonline.co.za.

The SABC has faced one of its most challenging trading conditions to date. Despite popular misconceptions that the corporation is a government-funded state-owned enterprise, the SABC only receives a 3% grant from the state. Financial pressures on the organisation have been further worsened by South Africa’s technical recession, a shrinking global economy hit by COVID-19, and corporate advertisers consequently reducing their marketing spend. 

Durban – Wednesday, 03 February 2021 – On 10 January 2021 Ukhozi FM’s Khathide “Tshatha” Ngobe took to social media to discuss SABC matters on a public platform without the permission of the organisation. The utterances made by Mr Ngobe, were a transgression, which the organisation viewed in a serious light as they were damaging to the SABC’s reputation, particularly Ukhozi FM.