The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies told parliament in a presentation that it wants at least 30% of all shows streamed in South Africa to be produced locally.
This comes as the department plans to forge on with controversial new proposals that would require international streaming services like Netflix to collect licence fees.
This means that popular streaming services like Netflix, Apple +, Showmax, and Amazon Prime will have to pay licence fees in South Africa in future AND will have to ensure that 30% of their content on offer here was produced locally.
Last month, government received backlash after a proposal that would see Netflix and Multichoice collect broadcast licence fees - which will be paid to the SABC - from their users.
The department confirmed to the Portfolio Committee on Communications that it had already received 20 000 comments about its proposals.
“These video-on-demand subscription services, when they come and operate in South Africa, everything that they show to South Africans in terms of their catalogue, 30% of that catalogue must include South African content,” said Collin Mashile, Chief Director of Broadcasting Policy at the Department of Communications. “In every country, the most popular shows remain the local shows.”
“Under paragraph 5.2.8, where we deal with the Promotion of South African Content and languages, the Draft White Paper, in paragraph 5.2.8.9, indicates that in respect of on-demand content services targeting South African audiences, they should also have South African content obligations,” Minister of Communications, Telecommunications and Postal Services, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams said in response to written parliamentary questions from DA Deputy Chief Whip Michael Waters.
Under this proposal, a TV Licence could be extended to cover use of pay-TV services like DStv as well as video-on-demand services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
The comment period has been extended to February 15, 2021 and email your comments to [email protected].
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