75% LOCAL CONTENT FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTERS

Public broadcasters with multiple channels will soon be mandated to broadcast at least 75 percent local content across all their platforms, while licensed sports television channels will be required to dedicate 50 percent of their airtime to local sports content, under proposed amendments to the Broadcasting Services Act.

The amendments, gazetted on Friday as the Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill, will also compel social media broadcasters transmitting national events to register with the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ).

In addition, the amendments seek to prohibit insurance companies from selling motor vehicle insurance to individuals who do not hold valid ZBC radio licenses, while subscription broadcasting service providers will also be obligated to carry up to three channels from public broadcasters as part of the reforms.

The proposed legislative changes aim to align the Broadcasting Services Act with the Constitution and the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act while supporting media diversity, enhancing local content production and fostering sectoral investment.

Under the proposed law, foreign ownership in broadcasting licenses will be capped at 40 percent, ensuring local majority ownership while attracting foreign investment into the capital-intensive sector.

The amendments, which are part of the Second Republic’s ongoing media reforms, are intended shift the role of BAZ from controlling to regulating and managing broadcasting service bands.

The Bill’s memorandum highlights this strategic realignment stating that: “The objective of the Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill, 2024, is principally to align the Broadcasting Services Act with the Constitution and also with the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act.

“Clause 3 amends section 2A of the principal Act to provide that the role of the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) is to regulate and manage the broadcasting service bands for sustenance rather than control broadcasting service bands.”

“The intention is to move away from a perception that the legislation is intended to stifle the freedoms guaranteed by section 61 of the Constitution and instead to focus on necessary regulation of the airwaves.”

These changes are designed to dispel perceptions that the Act stifles freedom of expression, as guaranteed by Section 61 of the Constitution and to align with international standards, including the African Charter on Broadcasting and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

“Clause 21 amends the Sixth Schedule to the principal Act by deleting paragraph 2(2) and substituting it with a new section 2(2) which provide that a licensee with a sports channel shall broadcast 50 percent local content in view of the fact that sporting events are universal and international sports may bring commercial value to licensees,” reads the memorandum.

“Amendments to paragraph 2(2) are to provide that a public broadcaster providing multiple channels shall broadcast 75 percent local content on all channels to ensure that they reflect the identity of the nation.” Sunday News

Posted in: NEWS