SABC eyes one million registered SABC+ users by 2027/28.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is targeting one million registered users of its SABC+ streaming platform, by the 2027/28 financial year.
This is based on the 2025 Estimates of National Expenditure (ENE) document published by National Treasury, in conjunction with the national budget tabled by finance minister Enoch Godongwana this week.
In the ENE, the number of registered users of the SABC+ platform in the 2024/25 financial year stood at 500 000, projected to increase to 750 000in 2026/27.
In addition to growing its user base, the corporation plans to focus on addressing its financial sustainability over the medium-term.
As a result, it has developed a strategy on new commercial capabilities to deepen its digital transformation, to take advantage of new platforms and emerging technologies, states the document.
“This will be done through the increased commercialisation of the recently revamped over-the-top platform known as SABC+, for which the broadcaster aims to have one million registered users by 2027/28, and social media platforms such as TikTok and WhatsApp channels to target the corporation’s growing online audience.”
According to the ENE, the financially-strained SABC expects to derive 78.3% (R17.6 billion) of its revenue over the medium-term expenditure framework period through advertising and other commercial activities.
“Total revenue is expected to increase at an average annual rate of 6.2%, from R6.5 billion in 2024/25 to R7.8 billion in 2027/28, mainly from the collection of licence fees and advertising revenue.”
In recent years, SA’s streaming market has continued to heat up, with international players Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, HBOMax and Hong Kong-based Viu jostling for a slice of the market.
Local players include Showmax, Video Play from Vodacom and eMedia Investments’ eVOD.
To keep up with the move from linear TV to streaming, the SABC introduced its own freemium-based, over-the-top platform in November 2022. It features the three free-to-air channels (SABC 1, SABC 2 and SABC 3), the SABC sports channel, the station’s 24-hour news channel, as well as its 19 radio stations.
Last July, the public broadcaster announced a revamped version of the platform, as well as launching on Apple TV and popular Android-based set-top boxes.
The public broadcaster’s streaming platform hasn’t proven to be popular among local political figures, with EFF leader Julius Malema reportedly slamming it as “frustrating and useless”.
