SECTOR 2 2.1 A wide range of sources of information (print, broadcasting, internet, mobile phones) is accessible and affordable to citizens While there is a wide range of sources of information available in South Africa across the media spectrum, panellists were in agreement that it was not accessible and affordable to all citizens. ‘It’s mostly the middle class and higher that have total access and who can afford media, as the data costs in South Africa are among the highest on the continent. At a grassroots level, people are still struggling for bread, and when it’s a choice between data or food on the table, obviously food takes priority.’ On a technical level, while urban areas are generally well-connected digitally, ‘large parts of rural areas, notably the Eastern Cape, do not have mobile access, let alone data’. Panellists felt it was unfair that the more money one spent on bulk data in South Africa, the less one paid per megabyte. ‘The more money you have, the cheaper data is. This is not fair on the poorer sector of the population who end up paying significantly higher for data as they can only afford to buy it in smaller amounts. Most South Africans access telecommunications and the internet via pay-as-yougo [services] and this is the most expensive way to get data.’ Another issue panellists raised was that even if someone has a smartphone and data to access the internet, another issue affecting the majority of poor South Africans is electricity. ‘You can’t use your phone if it is not charged, so access to, and the cost of, electricity are other factors which limit broad access to the internet and online media.’ According to panellists, television viewing in urban areas is steadily diminishing and most people access the media through a ‘second screen’ (such as smartphone or tablet). ‘The cost for a month of subscribing to MultiChoice [DStv bouquet] is over 900 ZAR [62 USD], while Netflix [the online streaming service] is just 150 ZAR [10 USD]. The differences are vast and this is affecting viewers’ patterns.’ Access to high-speed internet in rural areas, however, is very limited. Most people in these areas are predominantly consuming traditional media, especially radio and SABC TV, although the footprint of the latter is not throughout the entire country which results in urban and middle-class citizens having the most access. ‘SABC Radio remains one of the most accessed forms of media in South Africa.’ Mainstream print publications tend to focus their coverage on urban areas and large towns in rural areas, and thus, large rural areas do not receive mainstream newspaper distribution. 22 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER SOUTH AFRICA 2018