SABC wants Netflix & DStv to pay licence fees
October 22, 2020
By Chris Forrester
South Africa’s public broadcaster SABC, in a presentation to the nation’s parliament, said that it was time for broadcasters such as MultiChoice/DStv and Netflix to pay licences fees for their users who watch TV on computers and mobile phones.
It seems that Deputy Communications Minister Pinky Kekana agrees. She said during the presentation that the government’s proposal is set to help the SABC improve its financial position and would include allowing the public broadcaster to collect licence fees from non-TV users.
Kekaha added: “We are not only limiting it to TV. We also have other platforms where people consume content and in all of those areas, that is where we should look at how we are able to get SABC licence fees from those gadgets.”
This translates into a position where the SABC wants users who watch content on devices such as laptops and smartphones to also pay TV licence fees.