THURSDAY, 6.00PM:
POST, Telecommunications and Broadcasting Minister Jay Naidoo released his long-awaited White Paper on Broadcasting Policy on Thursday, outlining a vision to turn South Africa into a global multimedia hub.
The 46-page White Paper proposes that the the country’s signal distribution network should be opened to competition by 2000. Concluding that the digital route will be the most efficient, the Paper recommends a Digital Broadcasting Advisory Council be established to oversee the process.
Naidoo said he wants the free-to-air television services extended to at least 80% of the population over the next three years. Free-to-air television should have priority access to advertising, while the Independent Broadcasting Authority needs to investigate whether subscription services’ advertising revenue will not harm the survival and viability of free-to-air services.
The White Paper also calls for an amendment to the Independent Broadcasting Authority Act that will prohibit subscription services from acquiring exclusive rights for national sporting events.
Among a number of recommendations over “local content” in broadcasting, the White Paper calls for a Broadcast Production Agency, charged with promoting local content production, to be formed. It further recommends that the IBA draw up a plan for South African broadcasters to attain a “predominantly local content in all genres within a target period of 10 years”.
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