The Association of Community Television (ACT-SA) is urging South Africa’s communications regulatory body to compel DStv to continue broadcasting community channels as the country transitions to new digital TV regulations.
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), however, has rejected this request, asserting that the 2016 Local Content Regulations already address local content issues sufficiently.
On 9 April 2026, ICASA proactively published new regulations for digital terrestrial television broadcasting as part of its preparations for the forthcoming analogue switch-off, along with a document outlining its rationale and industry input, including feedback from ACT-SA.
ACT-SA has asked ICASA to introduce must-carry provisions that would obligate commercial television platforms to include community channels. The association expressed concerns about recent policy shifts at MultiChoice, suggesting that these changes could jeopardise the inclusion of community broadcasters on DStv. They warned that removing community channels from DStv would be catastrophic for the sector, which depends on being visible to DStv’s large audience for survival.
MyBroadband reached out to MultiChoice for comments on ACT-SA’s plea, but they had not responded by the time this article was published.
ICASA has had must-carry regulations in effect since 2008, which dictate how much content from the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) subscription broadcasters must carry. Presently, DStv is not legally bound to air community TV channels, although it does currently broadcast several, such as Soweto TV, BayTV, and 1KZN.
Thus, ACT-SA’s plea for ICASA to include must-carry rules for community channels marks a significant shift from existing policies. In its formal response to ACT-SA’s request, ICASA maintained that local content matters are sufficiently covered in the 2016 regulations.
As ICASA stated, “The must-carry obligation is legislated for the carriage of public broadcasting and not for any other tier of broadcasting.” They concluded that the current regulations are adequate to ensure the availability of local content.
Since 2008, ICASA mandated that pay-TV providers with over 30 channels carry SABC 1, 2, and 3 at no cost to either party. This policy sparked disputes between MultiChoice and the SABC; the latter claimed it was providing its valuable content to a private entity for free, while MultiChoice argued it was performing a public service while incurring costs to ensure distribution.
After protracted discussions, ICASA revisited its must-carry regulations in April 2022. The revised rules still require subscription broadcasters to carry SABC channels, but now these arrangements can involve commercial negotiations.
This change led to a new predicament: while the SABC could now charge for carriage of its channels, it did not require subscription services to agree to pay. Furthermore, ICASA confirmed it has no authority to intervene in these commercial negotiations, resulting in a stalemate between SABC and MultiChoice. The public broadcaster has accused DStv of negotiating in bad faith, while MultiChoice claims the SABC’s channels lack commercial value since they are available free of charge through other means.
As a result, both entities have reached an impasse regarding the carriage of SABC 1, 2, and 3 on DStv, prompting arbitration overseen by ICASA. Nevertheless, this process reached a deadlock, leaving the SABC without the anticipated revenue while DStv continues to air the SABC’s channels.
