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The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies has noted with concern the misinformation and false claims that there is a pending loss of free-to-air television in South Africa. The misinformation seeks to create unnecessary anxiety about the end of dual illumination period and the gazetted analogue switch-off date of 31 March 2022.

The claim that 14 million South Africans are going to lose free-to-air television on 31st March 2022 are preponderous at best and a figment of imagination at worst. Since 5th October 2021, the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Ms Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, has been briefing South Africans about the process towards completing digital migration in South Africa. The facts that have been presented to South Africans before and remain applicable
are:

(a) TV Watching Households and TV Transmission Networks

According to the latest StatsSA Report (2018), there are approximately 14 million TV-watching households in South Africa. Of these 14 million households, 11.5 million households watched TV through satellite transmission (approximately 8.5 million on DSTV subscription, approximately 2.8 million on OpenViewHD, and 400 thousand on StarSAT) and 2.5 million watched on analogue. As explained before, households watching TV through satellite have already migrated from analogue, in what is deemed self-migration. Therefore, the claim that 14 million South Africans will lose free-to-air TV is not based on fact and devoid of any truth.

Full Statement Attached

Issued by The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies