Johannesburg-Friday, 1 April 2022 – The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) welcomes the amendment of the Must Carry Regulations 2022 which now require subscription broadcasters to carry the public broadcasters’ channels “subject to commercially negotiable terms.” The SABC commends the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) for correcting a historical wrong which had given subscription broadcasters the right to carry SABC channels “at no cost” since the enforcement of the Must Carry regulations in 2008.

When the SABC Board was appointed in 2017, one of its first key deliverable was to call upon the regulator to review the Must Carry Regulations and align them with the Electronic Communications Act (ECA). This legislation clearly required subscription broadcasters to carry the SABC’s channels “subject to commercially negotiable terms”. Unfortunately, for the last thirteen years the ICASA regulations have conflicted with this provision. It has taken a concerted effort from the SABC Board and Management and the Minister to rectify this unfair provision through the regulatory review process.

The SABC looks forward to negotiating in good faith with Multichoice and other subscription broadcasters which have thus far been carrying SABC’s channels and some of South Africa’s most watched programmes at no cost.

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Issued By:                   Group Communications

Media Enquiries:        Ms. Gugu Ntuli (Group Executive: Corporate Affairs and Marketing)

NtuliGM@sabc.co.za|T. 011 714 3311|C. 071 877 0513