EDITORIAL: Licence to bill
The SABC’s desperate efforts to fund its TV operation means you might have to cough up even if you long ago ditched your 1976 Telefunken
25 September 2024 - 06:00
South Africa was one of the last countries to get television, and we’ve never caught up. When TV was launched in 1976, the SABC was naive about how much it would cost. Advertising was accepted from 1978, and ever since the SABC has been expected to cover its costs from advertising and licence fee revenue.
The BBC has no ads. Its revenue derives from licence fees (compliance rate 90%-plus) and sales of its programming to other broadcasters. The UK government funds only the BBC World Service on radio...
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