By Lindani Maseko
The broadcasting sector in Eswatini is currently at a pivotal moment, as industry leaders advocate for urgent financial reforms aimed at fostering growth and improving content quality.
During Day 2 of the National Communications Forum, held at the Happy Valley last week, stakeholders from Eswatini Television, Channel YemaSwati, the University of Eswatini (UNESWA), and the Eswatini Broadcasting Information Services (EBIS) articulated their frustrations regarding the inadequacies of the country’s existing revenue models.
The core issue lies in the fact that revenue generated from broadcasting according to the EBIS Director, Sabelo Dlamini is predominantly funneled into government coffers, rather than being re-invested for growth.
The theme of the forum, “Broadcasting Sector Overview, Trends, and Insights,” highlighted the sentiment that this outdated model severely restricts the broadcasters’ capacity to produce compelling, high-quality content and extend their programming reach.
The Director of EBIS emphasized the urgency of restructuring the financial frameworks.
“We urgently need a corporate structure that allows us to reinvest these funds into enhancing our production quality,” Dlamini mentioned that the reason why revenue was low was due to the reason that even if they produced adverts for the media house, the revenue went straight to the government.
The Forum illuminated an urgent need among industry leaders to overhaul outdated financial frameworks that limit their potential in a highly competitive media environment.
As local broadcasters struggle with the expectations of a diverse and dynamic audience within a rapidly expanding digital marketplace, the call for increased financial independence has become more critical than ever.
A report presented by Sibusiso Ndzabukelwako from the Eswatini Communications Commission (ESCCOM) highlighted the financial context essential to understanding these issues.
The report revealed a noteworthy 50% rise in television broadcasting revenue, which climbed from E14, 562,829.00 in the 2022-23 financial year to E21, 867,474.00 in the 2023-24 financial year.
Currently, Eswatini TV captures the largest share of the market 58%, followed closely by Voice of the Church (VOC) 19%, Channel YemaSwati 13% and EBIS 10%. Despite this revenue growth, industry players still argue that the entrenched revenue allocation model continues to hinder their capacity to fully exploit the burgeoning sector’s potential.
The Forum also explored opportunities for commercial partnerships and the establishment of dedicated commercial channels, aligned with the provisions of the Broadcasting Act of 2023.
Such initiatives are anticipated to provide a significant boost to the financial stability of the broadcasting sector.
“To survive, we must explore opportunities in the South African market. Financial viability is paramount to producing quality content,” Qhawe Mamba, the founder of Channel YemaSwati highlighted.