SECTOR 2 Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 2.2 (2010: n/a; 2008: n/a; 2006: n/a) 2.5 Adequate competition legislation/regulation seeks to prevent media concentration and monopolies. There is no special legislation or regulation that addresses the ownership of print media, and it is only general competition law which governs this. However there is statutory regulation of cross-media ownership, which is ownership or control of both print and broadcast media. The Electronic Communications Act28 provides that if a company controls a newspaper, the same company can control one television station or one radio station, but not all three. Further, the Electronic Communications Act restricts one owner from having two free-to-air commercial television stations. In terms of radio stations there is more leeway and single owners are limited to two FM and two AM commercial radio stations, although not in overlapping coverage areas. Panellists felt that ICASA (Independent Communications Authority of South Africa) and the related legislation fared very poorly in terms of creating a competitive environment, with alternative voices. The commercial television market is dominated by the Multichoice Group through its DStv satellite and M-Net terrestrial offerings, and “it is very difficult for new entrants to participate in the subscription television industry”. In the past fifteen years, ICASA has licensed only one free-to-air commercial television player: etv. Also, as a matter of policy, it has refused to licence any national commercial radio stations, limiting commercial radio stations have to broadcast to specific regional centres. Note that there are however two SABC national public-commercial radio stations – Metro FM and 5FM. As such, “it appears as though ICASA is protecting the SABC, which remains dominant nationally in both television and radio, thus limiting alternative voices and indicating a lack of commitment to diversity in the sector.” 28 South Africa. Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 25 of 2002. 36 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER SOUTH AFRICA 2013