Google and YouTube have pledged a R688 million support package to strengthen South Africa’s struggling media industry over the next five years. The agreement follows a detailed inquiry by the Competition Commission into the challenges facing local media in the digital era.
The newly launched Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry report marks a hopeful moment for the sector, outlining plans to fund national, community, and vernacular media through content licensing, innovation grants, and capacity-building initiatives.
The package will include support for newsroom innovation, contributions to the Digital News Transformation Fund, and training in vernacular languages through the Media Development & Diversity Agency.
As part of the agreement, Google will introduce tools to highlight local news sources, provide technical assistance to improve website performance, and share enhanced audience data. The company will also create an African News Innovation Forum. Microsoft has agreed to expand its MSN news contracts to include five more South African publishers.
The inquiry found that Google dominates online news distribution through its Search platform but does not compensate local media for their content. The new agreement aims to address this imbalance and support media sustainability.
Meta will establish a Media Liaison Office in South Africa, expand monetisation opportunities through workshops and ad credits, and remove follower limits for media partners. YouTube will give South African media automatic access to its Partner Programme, assist the SABC with ad sales, and help digitise its archives.
TikTok will introduce its Publisher Support Suite locally, while X (formerly Twitter) will expand monetisation and training opportunities. All major platforms have also committed to promoting digital literacy and combating misinformation.
The report recommends that the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition allow South African media to collectively negotiate with digital platforms on monetisation and licensing terms. It also calls for new content-moderation regulations and the creation of an independent Social Media Ombud to handle public complaints.
Minister of Trade and Industry, Parks Tau, praised the report, saying it offers a lifeline to the country’s media and promised to present it to Parliament within ten days for approval.