South African Public and Private Broadcasting in Digital Migration: A Comparative Analysis of the SABC and ETV

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23475486

Mahlatse Lucky Mocheki and Nhlayisi Cedrick Baloyi (Department of Communication, Media and Information Studies, University of Limpopo, South Africa)

Broadcasting digital migration is intended to improve spectrum efficiency, expand broadcasting services, and enhance content quality and audience choice. In South Africa, however, its implementation has been characterised by persistent policy uncertainty, governance challenges, infrastructure limitations, and prolonged delays. This study comparatively examines how these challenges have shaped the digital migration experiences of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and ETV Guided by the Critical Political Economy of Media and Media Convergence Theory; the study adopted a qualitative desktop research design. Data were collected from peer-reviewed journal articles, government policy documents, regulatory reports, and institutional publications through PRISMA and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that although both broadcasters operate within the same regulatory environment, their responses to digital migration differ because of contrasting institutional mandates, funding models, governance structures, and organisational priorities. The SABC’s public service obligations and persistent financial constraints have limited its technological adaptation, while ETV’s commercial orientation has enabled greater operational flexibility and technological responsiveness. The study further identifies policy uncertainty, regulatory inconsistency, inadequate funding, and increasing competition from converged digital media platforms as the principal factors constraining successful digital migration. The study contributes to broadcasting and media policy scholarship by demonstrating that digital migration outcomes are shaped not only by technological factors but also by institutional, economic, and regulatory conditions. It argues that differentiated policy interventions, greater regulatory certainty, and sustainable funding mechanisms are essential for achieving an inclusive and effective digital migration process in South Africa.