The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) revealed in its annual report for the 2024\/25 financial year that TV licence fee collection remains a major challenge, despite a slight improvement in compliance. Only 15% of licence holders paid their fees during the year, up from 14% in the previous financial year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The public broadcaster billed a total of R4.936 billion in TV licences<\/strong> (2024: R4.841 billion), but it recognised only R758 million<\/strong> under probability recognition criteria. This means that roughly R4.2 billion in potential revenue<\/strong> slipped away as licence holders refused to pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TV licence fee avoidance has long plagued the SABC. Last year, about 86% of licence holders avoided payment<\/a>, and many had not paid for several consecutive years. This high non-compliance rate seriously undermines the public broadcaster\u2019s ability to operate sustainably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although TV licence revenue grew by 10% year-on-year due to intensified collection efforts, it did not cover rising expenses. The SABC recorded a net loss of R253.3 million<\/a>, up from R197.8 million<\/strong> in 2023\/24. Revenue growth of 1.3%<\/strong> lagged behind a 3% rise in expenditure<\/strong>, leading to a 4.9% decline in net margin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTV Licence Fee Avoidance Remains High<\/h2>\n\n\n\n