Digital migration is a vital step in the evolution of broadcasting the SABC is missing
Digital migration is the pivotal process where you switch from old-age analogue to hip-fun digital.
I am in no way bashing analogue- Vinyl is the best!
Analog synths even better!
But for a broadcasting company to STILL be using technology from the 80’s seems a bit ridiculous. How have they gone on for so long without making this leap?
SABC interim board deputy chairperson Mathatha Tsedu revealed this: “The SABC buy content outside in digital form. But when we store it, because we don’t have digital storage, we store it on tapes. So we buy it as 2017 content, and we store it as 1980 format.”
Back to the future
He goes on to explain how when they eventually join the migration they will have to then take the formerly digital 2017 content that they changed into tape format and change it back to digital. It is a headache of note.
They naturally blame their budget for this failure to evolve but it’s evident that they are under serious mismanagement. Someone with experience needs to swoop in and save the SABC before it completely crumbles.
They are understaffed in terms of cameramen due to lack of budget. It is reported that they can only have 1 cameraman, per programme, per week in terms of current affairs.
SABC news which finds itself comfortably at the DSTV table is at risk due to negligence from SABC side.
They continuously blow their budget on things they have not researched properly or go out on a limb for. Well they are running out of limbs and fast so.
Digital migration is a process that has brought success to the likes of Mnet, Netflix and the whole broadcasting world, SABC needs to take flight and join.
