by Inge Hansen (@mecnotabene) We are currently in exciting and, in some cases, uncertain times for media in South Africa. Our landscape is changing rapidly and demanding that media owners, agencies and clients respond to these changes to stay relevant and maintain cost-efficiency.
In the past 12 months, there have been considerable industry and data changes.
We began 2014 with a Universe update in March to align the TAMS data with the latest census update, creating ructions with TV plans during the short term. This was followed later in the year by major scheduling changes on SABC channels, which took some time to settle with audiences as popular programming moved to new channels or timeslots.
And, at the end of 2014, the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRCSA) was formed and took over the TAMS panel, with the weighting efficiency of the panel being confirmed at above 70% early this year.
Year-on-year
Looking at a year-on-year comparison in TV broadcast data, if we go back to April 2014, the headlining stories keeping viewers tuned in included the start of the Oscar Pistorius trial, the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, the upcoming National elections and questions regarding Nkandla.
During that month, Generations held the top spot as the best-performing programme with steadfast appointment viewing, reaching just over 10m individuals. Top-performing programming in that month included the Zulu news and entertainment in the form of the SAMA awards.
Fast forward to April 2015, where news was dominated by the recent xenophobia attacks, the removal of the Cecil John Rhodes statue from UCT, loadshedding and Hilary Clinton’s announcement to run for the US Presidency. Although having undergone a hiatus and rewrite, Generations The Legacy managed to hold on to the top spot once again in April 2015, although a drop in overall audience reach is evident.
Skeem Saam
Previously not in the top 10, temporary Generations-replacement Skeem Saam is becoming regular appointment viewing in the no. 2 spot for the month, reaching 6.6m individuals.
The drop that we are seeing in overall audience numbers for top programmes in 2015 speaks to the continued audience fragmentation and, to some degree, loadshedding, which we are currently experiencing.
Contributing to this increase is also the continued migration to DStv packages by consumers, as these become more attractive and affordable (ie DStv Compact). In a comparison between the two months, the average time viewed on FTA channels decreased in April 2015, as audiences had more options of what to tune in to. In response to this shift by audiences, there has been a notable move in budgets to DStv channels, with an increase in ratecard spend evident.
Huge shifts
In the same period, we have seen huge shifts in internet access and activity, especially among lower-income consumer groups as owning a smartphone becomes less cost-prohibitive — although this content is not competing for viewer attention on the same level as we see in more developed countries, such as the US.
That said, we are seeing large jumps in activities such as video viewing, which will continue to increase as data costs become less prohibitive. In a comparison of 2013 to 2014 (AMPS Jan–Dec, All Respondents), video viewing via a cellphone has more than doubled and, although this is off a small base, as data costs decrease, this will become an increasingly popular activity.
In a new addition to the AMPS survey, we can also see that, on a weekly basis, more than 25.5% of all respondents (Jan–Dec 2014) tune into a TV show/radio station/internet or read a newspaper or magazine as a result of a comment seen on social media. If we amend this to all respondents who have ever accessed the internet, we get an increased figure of 33.8%, highlighting the media potential for digital and social media going forward.
April 2016
With these changes in mind, what will April 2016 look like?
With the largest influence of future TV penetration and increased fragmentation being the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) changeover, there is no fixed date as yet for this to occur. The implementation of this will provide viewers with better-quality viewing across more channels, providing incentive for competing channels to provide engaging content.
e.tv has prepared for the future on this front, having recently successfully introduced new telenovelas to its schedule, with more to come in 2015 to provide fresh local content for viewers. However, with the recent loss of Champions League rights from e.tv to SuperSport, fans of international soccer will need to invest in pay TV in some form.
Netflix is coming
On the streaming front, with Netflix to launch in South Africa in 2016, local platforms such as VIDI or DStv’s content options are vying for consumer interest to secure subscriptions. Although this will not have a large impact upon broadcast viewing for some time, it will further splinter viewer attention in the high-income market.
The implication for agencies is to remain informed and be agile to changes in media, as what worked last year may not deliver the same impact at a similar investment now. This makes established media-owner relationships an important area for many, as innovation and value will be increasingly in the spotlight.
Following two years at Media24 scrubbing for insights within the magazine division, Inge Hansen joined Nota Bene as an A&I analyst in March 2013. Working across multiple clients, including FMCG, alcohol and petroleum, she has the luxury of working with teams to develop robust insights that drive strategy while keeping abreast of media trends the world over. Inge loves having her pulse on the media landscape but far prefers raising her pulse mountain-biking on weekends. She contributes Thinking TV, a monthly analysis of South African TV viewership figures, to MarkLives. Follow @mecnotabene for regular media updates.
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