proposal<\/a><\/strong> is contained in the department\u2019s white paper on Audio and Audio-visual Content Services policy framework which is currently open for public comment. The department presented the framework to parliament on Wednesday (25 November).<\/p>\nIn his presentation, the department’s chief director of broadcasting policy Collin Mashile said that local content should be ‘enabled’ by further policy interventions within the audiovisual broadcasting space.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere video-on-demand subscription services come and operate in South Africa, everything that they show to South Africans in terms of their catalogue \u2013 30% of that catalogue must be South African content,\u201d Mashile said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat this means is that we are trying to create opportunities for the production and creative industry sector.\u201d<\/p>\n
While US-based streaming services like Netflix have increased local content output in recent years, making just under a third of all content on the platform local may prove particularly onerous for the streaming giant.<\/p>\n
Mashile addressed this by pointing to the popularity of local shows in South Africa. \u201cWe were asked where we got the idea that South Africans are interested in this 30%,\u201d he said. \u201cThe most popular shows in every country remain the local shows.\u201d<\/p>\n