South Africans are strange human beings. Really. We are so quick to draw comparisons, and to extol the virtues of New York, London, Sydney. Cathay-Pacific and Virgin Airlines. German beer, English football and Swiss francs.
But when the mood grabs us we become fiercely patriotic, and wax lyrical about SA weather, rugby (though only occasionally), our lifestyle and housing. Then bitch about crime, Aids and taxis. Then praise Trevor Manuel, the Reserve Bank, and the award-winning boerewors from Shoprite-Checkers.
Where am I going with this? I’m trying to get a handle on which approach we take when watching TV. Do we love or hate local TV shows? Do they excite us wildly, and stack up against the overseas offerings, or are they poor rip-offs that embarrass viewers to the extent that they fall over each other in the scramble for the remote?
Just how good is The Block versus its Australian original? Does the Weakest Link live up to its name?
In order to establish the popularity of programmes — both with viewers and with advertisers — we delved into the SAARF data provided by AC Nielsen for the first week of August. And what we found may surprise a number of marketers. What we looked at was adult viewing, and which shows attracted the biggest audiences.
SABC 1 was dominated by Generations. SABC 2 by 7de Laan and Nuus. SABC 3? Isidingo and News. M-Net by Egoli, and only e.tv viewers showed a preference for the non-local fare in the form of Bond movies and wrestling — which, after all, are almost the same thing.
Of the 10 most popular shows on all stations (50 shows) an astonishing 37 (that is 75%) were local productions of one genre or another. And whilst one can expect SABC 1 and 2, with their language regulations, to reflect an SA preference, SABC 3 with its numerous international shows has Isidingo, Weakest Link and News attracting 8 of the 10 biggest audiences of the week.
Okay. So audiences are enamoured with local shows. But the cash? Where are advertisers taking their bucks? What shows are they and their agencies supporting, hopefully as an indication of where the best response is coming from?
I looked at the very same week as we had for the audience figures, and found out that: “On rate card price, the TV stations took R94-million in the week, and this excluding DStv. The biggest money-spinner was SABC 3 News (R3,4-million), followed by 7de Laan, and then The Bold & Beautiful.
In terms of the top 10 revenue generators, seven were local productions”.
The above is measuring total revenue in a week, and so obviously there are 14 news broadcasts contributing to the R3,4-million.
Interestingly, the biggest revenue generator from a single screening was Bond. James Bond. Licence to Kill put R1,7-million on the table for e.tv and The Spy Who Loved Me did R1,4-million. Pretty lucrative for movies that have been around for a while.
So clearly local product is avidly consumed by viewer and advertiser alike. And while the bulk of TV programme audiences are defined numerically by the time slot in which the show is broadcast, there is more than ample evidence of widespread acceptance of locally produced product.
But there are a couple of troubling factors. One wonders why unlike, say, Australia, we appear to have an inability to create product that receives international acclaim. And why must we hop onto the bandwagon of recreating (although usually doing it a bit worse) the international shows?
Sure, reality shows are big, as are “talent” search programmes, but are we so devoid of ideas that 80% of what we create are tame reproductions rather than original masters?
Harry Herber is group managing director of The MediaShop Group