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SABC TV licence model is due for a reboot as only 15% pay

TV licence revenue up, but 85% of South Africans still don’t pay

1 min read
Debate over SABC’s funding model intensifies amid proposed legislative changes.
LICENCE HEADACHE Debate over SABC’s funding model intensifies amid proposed legislative changes.Picture: supplied

South Africans are refusing to pay for TV licences, with the vast majority in arrears.

Even though the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s revenue from licence fees increased by 10.4% in the last financial year, 85% of all billed accounts remained unpaid.

The SABC reported improved revenue collection of R758m from licence fees, up from R687m in 2023/24, according to its latest annual financial statements.

The highest collection happened in the 2021/22 financial year, when R815m was collected, before this amount dropped to R741m in 2022/23.