SABC3 has an exciting new lineup of shows coming to the channel from August.
As part of a bigger plan to boost viewership and shift toward the ‘progressive aspirant’, the channel will focus on lifestyle, technology and travel.
“For many years SABC had a home. The industry was not that big nor was the competition. So we could afford to have first run programs, international programs and have an audience who does not have paid TV but will be able to access it,” David Makubyane, GM for TV Channels at SABC.
He said, as time went on, we saw the un-bundling of bouquets - that’s when the channel to lose its identity.
“A lot of the audiences that the channel was targeting could now afford pay TV and in this day and age we now have people who are moving from pay, to the likes of Netflix and Showmax. So currently what we are saying is based to the research on this channel, there is an audience we are not catering for, these are the new millennials,” he said.
Makubyane said they are targeting the progressive aspirant viewer.
South Africans that are trying to get quality content and engage with it, without spending to much money.
“Our target audience is not based on race or gender as we have traditionally done. We need to grow with our audience. We no longer want to talk about black or white. We are looking at what people want. They want development, to grow, they are concerned about themselves and their family. They are very proud to be South African, but at the same time very globally inclined,” Makubyane said.
In August the channel will broadcast local documentaries, talk shows, game shows, comedies and a brand new riveting local crime drama titled, The Docket.
The show starring, Hlubi Mboya as Captain Ntsiki Motshe follows an elite crime fighting unit called "The Ravens." They are a specialized unit set up to investigate high-profile crimes in the public eye.
The show will air on August 22 at 9.30pm.