Why pay for a TV licence to stream Netflix etc.?

The government is threatening to extend the payment of TV licence fees to streaming services such as Netflix. Make your views heard by February 2021 and sign this petition.

You should not have to pay a cent more to keep the SABC afloat!

The public has already had to suffer the consequences of the billions in bailouts the SABC has received via the public purse.

The SABC must find creative ways to self-sustain and break even without making people like you fork out any more money.

What the law currently says:

The current law states that you must pay a TV licence fee for viewing “broadcasting services”, which includes subscription services like DSTV. When you buy a TV, regardless of whether you watch SABC content on it or not, you must pay a licence fee for any “broadcasting services.”

In the “traditional” sense a “broadcasting service” is limited to content viewed on a TV set.

What government proposes:

Given the emergence of streaming services like Netflix, Apple +, Showmax, Amazon Prime and others, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies proposes broadening the definition of a “broadcasting service” to include online broadcasting services.

This means that you would have to pay a licence fee for watching any “broadcasting services”, including streaming services, regardless of whether it’s on a TV, a computer or a phone.

Read the full proposal:

You can read the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies’ full proposal, in the Draft White Paper on Audio and Audio-visual Content Services Policy Framework: A New Vision for South Africa 2020, here.

Remember to make your views heard before February 2021.

19208 supporters

70792 needed to reach 90000

You should not have to pay a cent more to keep the SABC afloat!

The public has already had to suffer the consequences of the billions in bailouts the SABC has received via the public purse.

The SABC must find creative ways to self-sustain and break even without making people like you fork out any more money.

What the law currently says:

The current law states that you must pay a TV licence fee for viewing “broadcasting services”, which includes subscription services like DSTV. When you buy a TV, regardless of whether you watch SABC content on it or not, you must pay a licence fee for any “broadcasting services.”

In the “traditional” sense a “broadcasting service” is limited to content viewed on a TV set.

What government proposes:

Given the emergence of streaming services like Netflix, Apple +, Showmax, Amazon Prime and others, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies proposes broadening the definition of a “broadcasting service” to include online broadcasting services.

This means that you would have to pay a licence fee for watching any “broadcasting services”, including streaming services, regardless of whether it’s on a TV, a computer or a phone.

Read the full proposal:

You can read the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies’ full proposal, in the Draft White Paper on Audio and Audio-visual Content Services Policy Framework: A New Vision for South Africa 2020, here.

Remember to make your views heard before February 2021.