Have your say about new SABC TV licence fees for Netflix

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Jamie McKane

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Have your say about new SABC TV licence fees for Netflix

The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies is set to present its proposal to extend the payment of TV licence fees to include streaming services like Netflix today.

The Broadcasting Act currently requires South Africans to pay a TV licence fee for viewing “broadcasting services”.
 
We in the realm of fairy tales and make believe with the license fees collection.

Mr SABC, if its not too much to ask, please could you arrange a meeting with Father Christmas for me? I really really want to collect my presents he didn't bring me.
 
i'll willingly get a tv licence when they can prove that they can run the sabc properly. at the moment they're making huge losses and paying board members millions in salaries and bonuses. no thanks, i'll hang on to my money.
 
The cheapest method of tax collection is via vat, add 5 percent to vat and scrap all other taxes. Use money wisely people of the government.
 
It would be impossible to implement this! How would you make a definition for this? Any PC or laptop or cellphone, can potentially stream movies etc if you think at how the current law is drafted for you to pay your TV lic.
 
I kinda feel like the "experts" who are all complaining about how "complicated" this is going to be are all being deliberately obtuse.

Here's how it's going to go. When you sign up for any of these services, you're going to have to supply a valid TV license. When you supply your number, the service will do an API call to the SABC to validate your license, and your status. If you don't have a license, or your license is not paid up, you will be directed to the SABC website and you will be denied the service until you are compliant. I guess they'd also have to check monthly if you're still compliant too. Fairly simply API all on the anniversary of your service billing. This will probably be the simplest option.

I don't think the intention here is to get the media companies to actually "collect" the fees. That would be monumentally stupid and inefficient. All they have to do is deny service to a non-compliant person, the same way you are actually simply not (supposed to be) able to buy a TV without a valid TV license.

I think pushing back on the proposed changes due to it's "complexity" will not get anyone very far. This strategy is weak-sauce and boohoo-mongering. The SABC strategy here is to get you to pay your license fee regardless of where you are intending to consume a media service. TV, PC, tablet or cell-phone. If this doesn't work out, then the next destination is likely the ISPs, who'll then have to validate whether you have a valid TV license before you can sign up for the service.

Step one: enter your number
Step two: check through the SABC API if it is valid and paid up
Step three: allow or deny service, depending on status

The only way to really fight this stupidity is to get the SABC to stay in their lane as a TELEVISION BROADCASTER and for them to make their service something that is worth the trouble to pay for. Frankly, I flatly refuse to pay for their bloated, unionised and incompetent workforce (wtf, 1400 managers and 500 workers??), the rampant corruption during the Hlaudi dynasty and the fact that they add absolutely no value to my life.
 
Juice said:
I kinda feel like the "experts" who are all complaining about how "complicated" this is going to be are all being deliberately obtuse.

Here's how it's going to go. When you sign up for any of these services, you're going to have to supply a valid TV license. When you supply your number, the service will do an API call to the SABC to validate your license, and your status. If you don't have a license, or your license is not paid up, you will be directed to the SABC website and you will be denied the service until you are compliant. I guess they'd also have to check monthly if you're still compliant too. Fairly simply API all on the anniversary of your service billing. This will probably be the simplest option.

I don't think the intention here is to get the media companies to actually "collect" the fees. That would be monumentally stupid and inefficient. All they have to do is deny service to a non-compliant person, the same way you are actually simply not (supposed to be) able to buy a TV without a valid TV license.

I think pushing back on the proposed changes due to it's "complexity" will not get anyone very far. This strategy is weak-sauce and boohoo-mongering. The SABC strategy here is to get you to pay your license fee regardless of where you are intending to consume a media service. TV, PC, tablet or cell-phone. If this doesn't work out, then the next destination is likely the ISPs, who'll then have to validate whether you have a valid TV license before you can sign up for the service.

Step one: enter your number
Step two: check through the SABC API if it is valid and paid up
Step three: allow or deny service, depending on status

The only way to really fight this stupidity is to get the SABC to stay in their lane as a TELEVISION BROADCASTER and for them to make their service something that is worth the trouble to pay for. Frankly, I flatly refuse to pay for their bloated, unionised and incompetent workforce (wtf, 1400 managers and 500 workers??), the rampant corruption during the Hlaudi dynasty and the fact that they add absolutely no value to my life.
Click to expand...

So basically you're proposing they just do a valid TV license check... not whether the TV License actually belongs to the person who is signing up for the service?

First problem of course is that the SABC struggles to keep their basic TV License site up and running stably.
Second problem, there is no linking the person to the TV License, so effectively a single TV License could be linked to hundreds of Netflix/Amazon etc accounts.
Or are you now wanting Netflix/Amazon to start integrating with HA to get ID number details and then do a full TV License API call to see that the ID Number and the TV License holder are the same person and then proceed with the account creation?
 
Good by Netflix , hello VPN .
Suck on that .
An exercise in futility .
 
Dumb is as dumb does. These muppets at the SABC need a “for dummies” book just to figure out how to wipe their own arses.
 
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