Explainer: SABC wants license fees for cellphones, computers
- The SABC is exploring new wants to make citizens cough up for TV licences
- The broadcaster is looking to update its systems to take newer technologies into consideration
- Briefly.co.za explores the new possible fees that South Africans may be facing
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The South African Broadcasting Corporation is looking to make a number of changes to its TV licence system.
These changes include the chance that its definition of 'televisions' may be expanded to include other devices.
This comes shortly after the SABC announced plans to prompt DStv and Netflix to include license fees in subscription charges.
Source: UGC
TimesLIVE spoke to Sylvia Tladi, the head of TV licences division at the SABC, that the current Act in this regard is over two decades old and needs updating.
Tladi explained that people have changed the way they consume content and that this poses a problem.
With new devices capable of streaming content, citizens aren't currently required to have a licence and this is funding lost to the cash-strapped broadcaster.
One of the recommendations that the SABC seeks to make is to extend the definition of a TV set to include other devices.
This plan included smartphones, tablets and computers among other devices a shift away from the traditional TV licence.
Earlier, Briefly.co.za reported that it's no secret that the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is struggling to stay afloat.
With debt amounting to billions, the broadcaster is trying everything in its power to keep its head above water. Now, the SABC has come up with another way to generate money and force South Africans to pay their TV licences.
The SABC wants streaming services like Netflix and or subscription services like MultiChoice, which owns DStv, to collect TV licences on its behalf.
This will force South Africans to pay for TV licences even if they don't watch SABC, Channel24 reported.
SABC has since started trending on Twitter as South Africans expressed their views on the broadcaster's plans to use TV licence fees like "traffic fines".
Twitter user, @dramadelinquent, commented: "@NetflixSA if you give into this bs I'll cancel with you. Easy peasy."
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Source: Briefly News
