The Egypt vs. Nigeria ‘’delayed live’’ broadcast was the last straw that broke the camel’s back for many African soccer supporters. The game was live at 6pm but was broadcasted around 10pm on SABC TV. 4 hours later, to the frustration and heartbreak of many spectators, who were hoping to catch it live.Yet this situation is not new, it highlights two big issues at the heart of the problem , that is, SABC as a Public broadcaster is out of touch with the public because it is constantly in a battle to churn out a profit ,espicialy this year more than any other year,than to fulfil its mandate as a public broadcaster.
Funny enough, SABC has the rights to AFCON and its sub-licensing it to Supersport and showing certain games live and some ‘delayed live” .Whilst Supersport on the other hand, is broadcasting all the games and paying SABC a license fee.So the general public gets short changed,but the SABC gets to make a quick buck. Why is the SABC doing this cause they want money. The tournament plays around prime time slots that show soapies. Advertisers have payed big bucks for the spots and since there’s no Sport channel at the SABC,at the present moment, that would broadcast games when they clash with the high paying ads slot of Generation and the bold. The sports will be sacrificed.
How lucrative are the ads spots,rumours are that the Generations ads slots are going for close to 100 000. Whilst AFCON is seen as a “fringe” tournament only supported by hard core soccer fans and does not offer as much revenue as Generations and all those American soaps.So you may have a huge population that wants to see soccer but the advertisers and soapy watchers are more lucrative so so we have the 10pm and 12am “delayed live” games scenario.
Revenue, that big scary word, is used to legitimate when the SABC short changes the public on its mandate. The situation is not made any easier by the fact that SABC is insufficiently funded by government,that it does not collect its tv licenses fees properly or that it manages it’s finances and workforce properly. Cause e-tv finds itself more or less in the same scenario, revenue wise, but it seems to be doing better than the SABC. So funding can’t be the be all and end all of the problems, its more than just revenue.
I personally feel as long as SABC is mismanaged and does not have the right vision that puts the public first and advertisers second, the issue of Public mandate will always fall away in the name of revenue. A public broadcaster can’t and should not be ran as a commercial station for it to fulfil its mandate. For instance ,a large number of soccer loving public is black and working class probably falling between LSM 1 and 4, with a few at the high LSM range. Will they be short changed of programming and sports they like because their “LSM” does not attract advertisers? What about minority languages and minority groups?
It’s a dangerous slope that SABC is managing right now, but as long as the viewing public does not whole SABC to its mandate and accountable. As long as the public just shrugs off its valid qualms of not being able to see the premier African soccer tournament in Africa, we shall forever be short changed by the powers that be and the SABC. So pick up those phones and demand your public broadcaster to broadcast the games that you the public want. At least for the first time in ages come June the SABC has guaranteed that we will see all the World Cup games live, why? Cause FIFA insists on it, it’s in the contract and the World Cup has been managed well thus far.So you see if the client insists on what it wants,it can get it,even if the service provider is SABC.So demand what you are paying for.
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originaly published on
www.mydl.co.za by yours truely