Top Shows on TV: October 2023

Written by TVSA Team from the blog Primetime TV Viewing Figures on 10 Nov 2023
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These are the primetime adult television viewing figures for October 2023.

If you can't see the listing below, then click this link to access them in a document instead: Top Shows on TV: October 2023

* The Broadcast Research Council has labelled the documents as September 2023 at the top but the actual listed dates are for October.

Special notes

Viewers were subjected to loadshedding ranging from Stage 1 to Stage 3 this month, with the relief of no loadshedding on numerous occasions throughout the month.

This resulted in an increase in viewership across broadcasters in comparison with the relentless blackouts we've suffered in previous months, which is now years.

e.tv - two out of three in South Africa's Big 3

House of Zwide achieved its highest viewership to date on 23 October with 5,115,995 viewers, cementing e.tv's position in the country's Top 3 with two shows in it. It happened last month and it's happened again.

The Big 3 title used to be synonymous with Uzalo, Generations and Skeem Saam but now the top shows are as follows:

Uzalo	6,177,811
Scandal!	5,604,108
House of Zwide	5,115 995
Generations: The Legacy	4,786,201
Skeem Saam	4,199,923
Isitha	3,719,417
Smoke & Mirrors	3,178,412
Umbali	2,423,738
Nikiwe	1,937,014
Muvhango	1,604,552

Gomora's footprints in the sand

Gomora's replacement My Brother's Keeper made DStv's Top 5 on its debut night of Monday 23 October with 744,542 viewers for the premiere.

It outperformed Gomora's most watched episode for the month in terms of number of viewers but not in audience share.

Gomora had an audience share of 6.1 for its most watched episode of the month and My Brother's Keeper had an audience share of 5.7, meaning Mzansi Magic lost 4% of viewers who were tuned into TV in the 19h30 timeslot.

Will be interesting to see what happens next considering the fact that My Brother's Keeper is a short telenovela of 130 episodes, which will only be on air for six months.

*Audience share refers to the percentage of people who watched a show in relation to the total number of people watching TV countrywide at the time.

Blink and you miss it

Still no sign of Idols on Mzansi Magic in The DStv Top 30 list and it's right down below on Mzansi Wethu. Talk about the non-event of the century.

If you can't see the documents above, here's an overview of the Top 5 shows per channel/broadcaster:

SABC1

Show	Viewers
Uzalo	6,177,811
Generations: The Legacy	4,786,201
Skeem Saam	4,199,923
Xhosa News	2,705,627
Mtn 8 Orlando Pirates vs Mamelodi Sundow	2,703,408

SABC2

Show	Viewers
Rugby World Cup 2023:South Africa vs New	2,861,851
Live Lotto Draw	2,015,304
Rugby World Cup 2023:South Africa vs Eng	1,769,494
Muvhango	1,612,771
Rugby World Cup 2023: Wrap up	1,604,552

SABC3

Show	Viewers
News	756,333
Spider-Man 3	617,778
Miss World South Africa	515,784
Cricket Wrap up	449,431
Super League Africa:Apl vs Mamelodi Sund	413,917

e.tv

Show	Viewers
Scandal	5,604,108
House of Zwide	5,115,995
Isitha - the Enemy	3,719,417
Smoke and Mirrors	3,178,412
The Powerball Draw	2,481,478

DStv

Show	Viewers
Umkhokha:the Curse	1,022,039
Gqeberha: the Empire	914,651
Uyajola 9/9	887,141
X-Repo	813,728
My Brother's Keeper	744,542

Please note: these ratings don't include viewership from DStv Catch Up, YouTube, Viu, eVOD or SABC+. They only reflect the viewership of people who watched on the day, at the time of broadcast.

For an explanation of the TAMS, please see: The TAMS Ratings Explained.

Channels in this post: SABC1, SABC2, SABC3, e.tv, Mzansi Magic, Mzansi Wethu, Moja Love

Tags: TV ratings in South Africa,South African TV ratings

6 Comments

Astepforward
10 Nov 2023 15:44

The Zola and Zanele storyline boosted HOZ ratings as well as Soka and HIV, I never paid attention to the show until then. Now that they're done, i'm struggling to watch.

I'm happy for Smoke and Mirrors and Isitha. They're coming up great.

Goku
10 Nov 2023 16:51

Haah uMkhokha with a milli.... jha neh Generation has realy fallen

Timone
10 Nov 2023 20:59

Which one is Umbali now? Thought Sibongile x Dlaminis was doing much better than these numbers show, but then again 18h30 is a tough slot.

RONDA
10 Nov 2023 22:28

Interesting to note that most South Africans still watched SA's Rugby World Cup games on SABC than on Dstv even though they showed the matches on all packages. None of the games are in the top20 on Dstv but very high numbers on SABC. It's a good thing the SABC fought for those rights. Many South Africans would have missed out. The euphoria the country experienced was out of this world. Hope the Proteas will receive the same kind of love. Also is Interesting that Uzalo's numbers keep rising despite the online bashing they receive. I'm not an Uzalo viewer and have hardly ever been a consistent one but I'm happy for them. Such a shame though the kind of treatment that Uzalo and Generations receive online, people will judge you for still watching these shows on the socials but they also watch them too. And the numbers keep proving that. Once you get a bad rep on the socials it's over for you, but I guess the most important thing is the viewership numbers that get the advertisers in and not trending on the socials. I feel like Skeem Saam is also gonna join these two on the hate train with their current storylines and dragging everything, people have been complaining and the numbers have clearly dwindled. They need to get new writers in there ASAP, and a new wardrobe for Lizzy and Mapitsi.

Timone
11 Nov 2023 13:05

@RONDA what has always baffled me is that Pretty, a student from a humble home, has a much better wardrobe and hair than these two who have incomes. I know Pretty was hooked up by Lehasa when they were still an item but still maarn....

RONDA
11 Nov 2023 18:51

@Timone I hate it so much coz Mapitsi has a husband who gets paid in dollars and she also has her publishing house, Lizzy is a doctor with zero responsibilities (well until she had to start paying her mother's debts) but they will have them on these horrible wigs and hairstyles for months without refreshing or changing them and dress them like they are both in their 40s that time they are in their mid 20s character wise. They are also doing the same with Eunice. I don't get why they don't apply the same effort on them as they do on Pretty and Melita. Infact when it comes to wigs they sabotage most of the ladies, Jacobeth, Meikie, Glenda, Lizzy, Mapitsi

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