The SABC wants to expand the definition of TVs to include smartphones and other smart devices for TV licence legislation.
The state broadcaster has previously touted expanding their fee structures to include the use of paid television services like DSTV, as well as on demand streaming services like Netflix. Sylvia Tladi, the head of TV licences division at the SABC, has now taken it a step further and wants to update the 21-year-old Broadcasting Act to include new technologies such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and computers.
“People don’t just consume content or broadcasting services from a traditional (television) set the way they know it to be,” Tladi told TimesLIVE. “That poses a problem. Now you have people consuming content from all over, but they are not required to have a licence.”
The SABC wants to change the definition of what is considered a “television” to include smart devices, including, but not limited to smartphones, laptops and tablets.
“One of the recommendations that we made was that the definition of a television set as it stands in the legislation needs to be changed (and) expanded to take into account how the media has converged, changed and made room for content to be consumed through other devices,” she said.
The current legislation requires owners of televisions that are capable of receiving broadcast signals. The licence must be renewed every 12 months and new televisions cannot be purchased without one.
Deputy minister of Communications, Pinky Kekana, seconded Tladi’s sentiments, suggesting that the streaming services themselves should assist in collecting licence fees.
“How do we, through Icasa, make sure that they too are able to assist us to collect TV licences but we are not only limiting it to TV? We also have other platforms where people consume content and in all of those areas that is where we should look at how we are able to get SABC licence fees from those gadgets,” she told TimesLIVE.
The move by the SABC to expand licence fees to include smart devices and streaming services has been met with a public outcry from South Africans on social media.
If our government gets involved, it won’t be long until Netflix is just re-runs of Anaconda. https://t.co/yrSyDjDxpj
— David Scott (@TheKiffness) October 20, 2020
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