From May, SABC viewers will for the very first time have access to award-winning British dramas, factual entertainment and documentaries.
This move is part of a new collaboration between the SABC and BBC Studios, which is set to give viewers a chance to watch a range of top international shows.
This includes psychological crime thriller “Luther”, medical drama “Critical” and the renowned British motoring programme, “Top Gear.”
Long-running reality TV sensation “Cheaters”, which centres around hidden camera crews investigating suspicions of infidelities as well as the documentary series, “Louis Theroux: Forbidden America”, which explores the impact of the digital world on different parts of American society, are also part of the line-up.
These shows and many more will feature as part of BBC Primetime, a new three-hour block from 9pm to 11pm on weekdays on S3 and on the public broadcaster’s digital portal, SABC+.
This new television initiative is expected to reach 13 million South Africa homes, making it BBC Studios’ widest reaching branded service in the European, Middle Eastern and African (EMEA) region.
The commercial director at BBC Studios in Africa Pierre Cloete is thrilled about their new partnership.
“BBC Primetime will be hand-picked for S3 audiences, packed with a selection of incredible programming from our award-winning catalogue,” he said.
“This marks our first block for free-to-air audiences in South Africa, giving 13 million homes access to BBC Studios’ shows.”
SABC programming manager Sane Zondi added that this partnership seeks to deliver high quality international content to the public broadcaster’s viewers.
“The deal allows us to bring back some of the iconic BBC titles to our viewers which formed weekly habitual viewing, with ‘Top Gear’ being the most notable one,” she said.