South Africans love their soapies. Information collated from the Broadcast Analysis Council’s (BRC’s) primetime viewership statistics present that cleaning soap operas dominated primetime viewership throughout the SABC channels, e.television and DStv in 2024, with information and main sports activities occasions shut behind.
TechCentral analysed BRC knowledge for the most-watched exhibits between January and November 2024 to identify developments in viewer preferences – the info is visually summarised within the chart under. The info seems at tv viewers numbers and never any streaming viewers knowledge.
Regardless of modifications in know-how driving shifts in viewers behaviour in the direction of streaming, linear tv stays fashionable amongst South African audiences and primetime viewership – from 5.30pm to 10pm on weekdays – continues to attract vital audiences and promoting.
“TV, given its attain and recognition, retains its place as a robust promoting platform in South Africa, and spend continues to be highest between 6pm and 9pm,” mentioned a separate report by the Nationwide Affiliation of Broadcasters (NAB).
SABC 1 soapie Uzalo was persistently probably the most watched TV present in South Africa in 2024, coming first in each month between January and November. Produced by Stained Glass TV, Uzalo airs weekdays at 8.30pm. The present’s most-viewed episode for 2024 aired on 27 March when 5.7-million South Africans tuned in. No different present throughout all TV channels managed to breach the 5 million viewers milestone, though e.television’s Home of Zwide proved to be a robust competitor.
Home of Zwide, a drama, is centred on the ambitions of its key characters as they manoeuvre the extremely aggressive trend trade. Co-produced for e.television by The Bomb Shelter and Videovision Leisure, the present’s most-viewed episode in 2024 aired on 11 April, garnering 4.8 million viewers in its broadcast slot between 7pm and seven.30pm.
Skeem Saam
Additionally worthy of point out is SABC 1’s Skeem Saam, which commonly attracts in additional than three million viewers between 7.30pm and 8pm on weekdays.
In contrast to SABC 1 and e.television, whose most-watched exhibits have been soapies, SABC 2’s Muvhango shared the highlight with a wide range of sports activities broadcasts all year long, displaying that South African audiences actually love sport. The Confederation of African Soccer (CAF) qualifiers between South Africa and Congo-Brazzaville, which aired on 11 October, drew 1.8 million viewers, probably the most for SABC 2 in 2024.
However soccer was not the one sporting drawcard for the channel. The printed of the Rugby Championship match between South Africa and New Zealand on 31 August drew in just below 1.4 million viewers for SABC 2, whereas the Fifa World Cup qualifier between South Africa and Zimbabwe in June had greater than 1.5 million viewers glued to their screens.
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Sporting occasions have been additionally a key spotlight in SABC 3’s viewership statistics, topping the most-watched checklist for the channel in six of the 11 months. SABC 3 audiences have been drawn to varied soccer tournaments, together with the Africa Cup of Nations, the CAF Champions League and Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Selection exhibits additionally have been additionally a favorite amongst SABC 3 audiences, with The Masked Singer South Africa, the Miss South Africa Pageant and America’s Acquired Expertise topping the checklist in sure months.
DStv’s hottest present for the yr was Sibongile and the Dlaminis, a telenovela a few home employee Sibongile and the household she works for. In September, Sibongile and the Dlaminis peaked its viewership statistics for 2024 when 1.5 million viewers tuned into the programme.
Information programmes proved to a be a robust drawcard for South Africa’s TV channels. Attention-grabbing to notice is that the Zulu and Xhosa information on SABC 1 on common drew in round 2.5 million viewers every per episode in 2024, larger a few of the most-viewed programmes on SABC 2, SABC 3 and DStv. Mixed, these statistics are additionally larger than the most-viewed present on e.television. The Afrikaans Nuus programme was the most-watched programme on SABC 3 for the month of July with 524 486 viewers.
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In response to the NAB, audiences migrating in the direction of streaming platforms present much less elasticity with regards to information content material, for the reason that proliferation of pretend information on the internet results in conventional broadcasting companies remaining probably the most trusted sources for information amongst South African audiences.
“Radio and TV proceed to be thought of probably the most trusted supply of stories and data,” the NAB mentioned. – © 2024 NewsCentral Media
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