R688 million payday for media houses in South Africa
South Africa’s Competition Commission on Thursday unveiled a sweeping package of remedial measures from global tech platforms, including a 688 million rand ($40 million) media support package agreed with Google and YouTube, following a probe into market dominance.
The report highlighted how global digital platforms have eroded traditional media revenues, with Alphabet’s Google and YouTube, Facebook owner Meta, Microsoft, TikTok, Elon Musk-owned X, and artificial intelligence firms dominating access to news and monetisation channels.
Key recommendations from the final report include:
Alphabet’s Google and YouTube have agreed to a 688 million rand media support package to support national, community and non-English language media through content licensing, innovation grants and capacity building initiatives over five years.
The package includes funding for non-English training through the Media Development & Diversity Agency and contributions to the Digital News Transformation Fund.
Google will also introduce tools to prioritise local news sources, offer technical assistance to improve website performance, share enhanced audience data and establish an African News Innovation Forum.
Microsoft
Microsoft will extend its MSN news contracts to include five additional national publishers.
Social media
Meta Platforms will open a media liaison office in South Africa and broaden monetisation access through workshops, ad credits, and the removal of follower thresholds.
YouTube will grant all South African media automatic access to its Partner Programme and support local broadcaster SABC with direct ad sales and archive digitisation.
Chinese-owned social media app TikTok has agreed to roll out its Publisher Support Suite in South Africa offering monetisation and analytics tools.
Elon Musk’s X has been instructed to make all monetisation programs available locally and provide automatic access to the programs including premium account status. It has also been asked to provide training workshops.
Ad Tech and AI
Remedies in advertising technology and artificial intelligence aim to bring South Africa in line with global standards.
Google will adopt EU-style transparency measures to give publishers greater visibility into advertising costs and publisher payments, and will remove self-preferencing practices within its ad systems.
AI companies, including OpenAI, will offer South African media the same content controls and opt-out mechanisms available in the EU, and provide biannual training to help develop a fair market for licensed content.
($1 = 17.3125 rand)
- Reporting by Siyanda Mthethwa.
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