SABC+, the streaming platform launched by the public broadcaster in 2021, is tracking towards five million unique monthly views since a December 2023 decision to remove the requirement for login credentials to access the platform.

“The SABC can confirm that SABC+ received 4.6 million unique views from 1-20 June 2024,” said Mmoni Seapolelo, acting group executive of corporate affairs and marketing, in response to a query by TechCentral.

“As part of building and enhancing the viewer experience on the platform, user login details were deactivated on 1 December 2023,” she said, suggesting this move has served to propel viewership higher.

According to Seapolelo, SABC+ makes use of an advertising-funded video-on-demand (AVOD) business model. Under this model, users can access a platform and its content for free, but they watch ads as part of the viewing experience.

Seapolelo said the SABC is exploring other revenue streams from the platform, but collecting TV licence fees from viewers is not one of them.

“Speculation about TV licence fees being applicable to the SABC+ streaming service is not true,” she said.

The SABC+ platform suffered from technical challenges between September and October 2023 during the Rugby World Cup tournament. The SABC at the last minute acquired sub-licensing rights to broadcast the World Cup following a dramatic battle with main rights holder SuperSport, a subsidiary of MultiChoice Group.

New platform

The agreement allowed SABC to broadcast selected games on its standalone sports channel, which is also available via SABC+. But viewers were disappointed when the platform crashed as it couldn’t handle the volume of traffic during some of the matches.

“During the Rugby World Cup, the platform did experience some challenges. However, changes were implemented on the infrastructure and network connectivity since the 1 December 2023,” said Seapolelo.

“The Africa Cup of Nations’ seamless streaming of over a million views per match in January and February this year is a testament of the resilience and an indicator that the challenges around high traffic were resolved successfully,” she said.

She said viewers outside of South Africa can also watch SABC+, but some content is geographically blocked due to regulations and content rights. SABC Radio, SABC News and SABC Education are fully accessible abroad.

Earlier this month, signal broadcasting distributor Sentech – another state-owned entity – launched its own streaming platform called Freevision Play, effectively competing with the SABC.

Shortly after the launch, Michael Markovitz, the head of the Gibs Media Leadership Think Tank and a former executive board member of the SABC, took to X to voice his frustration over the matter.

“Unacceptable to see state-owned Sentech launch a streaming competitor against @SABCPlus. Not only is the public broadcaster Sentech’s biggest client, but the SABC has had to endure monopoly pricing for decades. SABC should not provide its channels to @FreevisionPlay,” Markovitz posted.

The battle between the SABC and Sentech over what the former claims is an “excessive” tariff regime for broadcasting its channels is now headed to the Competition Tribunal.

In response to a query by TechCentral, Markovitz said SABC+ has the potential to grow if the right investments are made in the platform.

“Obviously, it needs more investment in development and marketing, but I am happy that it is off the ground,” he said.

The SABC has partnered with Mangomolo, a streaming platform developer based in the United Arab Emirates, to work on the technical aspects of scaling SABC+. According to a media statement, Mangomolo manages over a billion streams a month and serves more than 30 million viewers globally with its technology.

‘Over the top’

“Our work with SABC is an exciting opportunity to deliver new OTT (‘over the top’) video experiences in South Africa. We’re making it simple to expand the SABC’s offering and deliver content to audiences on whatever device they want to use.

As smart device adoption grows across Africa, we’re ensuring that broadcasters can connect with their audiences and grow viewership with a comprehensive video platform,” said Wissam Sabbagh, founder and CEO at Mangomolo, in the statement. – © 2024 NewsCentral Media