Johannesburg – The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies wants streaming services like Netflix to carry 30% South African content.
This comes from the department’s white paper on Audio and Audio-visual Content Services policy framework which is open for public comment. The department presented the framework to parliament yesterday.
Chief director of broadcasting policy Collin Mashile said that local content should be ‘enabled’ by further policy interventions within the audiovisual broadcasting space.
“Where video-on-demand subscription services come and operate in South Africa, everything that they show to South Africans in terms of their catalogue – 30% of that catalogue must be South African content,” Mashile said.
Take a look at how some people reacted to the news on Twitter below:
While Netflix is busy investing in local African content, we cannot be shrinking the presence of the African giant.
The difference between SAA and the SABC is the nature of access. The SABC is a general access public good, SAA is a limited access public good.
— Mmusi Maimane (@MmusiMaimane) November 17, 2020
These one Are sick.
When someone called for 90% SA content.
He was Hounded as the most corrupt COO at SABC.
Thy insist on Playing Beyonce and them.
Now thy want to dictate Netflix.
— SOSOBALA KHEKHEKHE II 🇿🇦 (@PaulMzoxolo) November 26, 2020
This is the result of failure and incompetent of SABC… When there is a new player in the game like Netflix which is very competent in creativity, costs etc Our Government wants to rewrite the rules, that's big corruption.
Politicians lack innovation, growth— Siphumelelo Kwinana (@Phat_Sii) November 26, 2020
The real pattern here is govt want to benefit and be in control of Netflix and showmax mess them up like sabc.
— Hilton (@hilton_maloka) November 26, 2020
Watch the presentation of the document below:
The department of communications also told parliament that it plans to push ahead with controversial new proposals that would require international streaming services like Netflix to collect licence fees.
According to reports, the department has already received 20,000 comments about its planned proposals.
This proposal is aimed at propping up the SABC, which suffered a loss of more than half a billion rand in the past year.
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) will determine the fees that will have to be paid, as well as holding to account international services which fail to comply.
This includes the establishment of a team, which would work closely with South African banks, to halt subscription payments to uncooperative service providers.
The streaming services will include the likes of Showmax, Netflix, Disney Plus and Amazon Prime.
Sunday World
