The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Chinese media organisation Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation (JSBC), aimed at strengthening broadcasting cooperation and promoting cultural exchange between South Africa and China.
The partnership will support greater collaboration between the two broadcasters, while creating opportunities for audiences in both countries to gain deeper insights into each other’s cultures, societies and contemporary developments.
As part of the cooperation, the SABC is broadcasting China Hour, a dedicated programming strand designed to give South African audiences greater exposure to Chinese stories, culture, people and contemporary life. The initiative also aims to contribute to mutual understanding and strengthen people-to-people connections between South Africa and China.
SABC Group Chief Executive Officer, Nomsa Chabeli, said the partnership supports the public broadcaster’s mandate to provide content that informs, educates and reflects the diverse interests of its audiences.
“The SABC has a responsibility to provide content that informs, educates, and reflects the country’s diverse audiences and its international relationships. Cooperation with international broadcasters can contribute to this mandate when undertaken within the SABC’s editorial and public-service framework.
“China Hour therefore represents an element of broader media and cultural engagement between the two countries, with the objective of fostering mutual understanding and strengthening communication between South African and Chinese audiences.”
China Hour will air from Monday to Thursday between 23:00 and 00:00 on SABC2, providing viewers with access to a selection of Chinese television content highlighting the country’s culture, stories, people and contemporary way of life.
The programming is intended to offer South African audiences a window into China while encouraging greater cultural awareness and dialogue between the two countries.
Beyond the scheduled television broadcasts, audiences will also be able to access additional Chinese content through SABC+ Video on Demand (VOD), providing viewers with greater flexibility to discover and engage with Chinese programming.
The MOU between the SABC and JSBC marks another step towards expanding international broadcasting partnerships and creating platforms for cultural exchange, content sharing and greater understanding between audiences in South Africa and China.
