Media downsizing and closures threaten democracy and diversity: Tau

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau has received the Competition Commission’s Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry report for tabling in Parliament.

Speaking at the release of the report in Sandton, Johannesburg, the minister notes that the shift to online news consumption facilitated by global search and social media platforms has decimated advertising revenue that sustained traditional media in the country.

Tau argued that the resulting downsizing and media closures over the past five years are a direct threat to democracy, media diversity and plurality.

“The inquiry recognises that digital platforms are not the sole cause of the media’s challenges it has identified clear instances of conduct that exacerbate these challenges and denied the media fair compensation for their content. The content is used by these platforms to generate revenue by driving user demand and driving engagement. The inquiry also examined the likely impact of AI chatbots and AI-powered search on the media and sort to ensure that these developments don’t undermine fair compensation.”

Today, the Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry, initiated under section 43B(1)(a) of the Competition Act, released its Final Report. (1/4) #MDPMI #MediaInquiry #MarketInquiry #DigitalMarkets pic.twitter.com/vPcuSo925q

— CompComSA (@CompComSA) November 13, 2025

This morning I received the final report on the Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry.

The outcomes of this Inquiry are essential for the sustainability of our media and news media industries.

We will consult within government and announce our decisions in due course. pic.twitter.com/WGLKEihnKW

— Parks Tau (@TauParks) November 13, 2025

Meanwhile, the South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) has welcomed the findings and recommendations of the final report.

The Inquiry found that major global platforms, including Google, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok, X and AI companies, dominate key gateways that South Africans use to access news and information, which has adversely affected local news media.

Remedial agreements reached with the international platforms, including a R688-million Media Support Package by Google and YouTube to fund national, community, and vernacular media.

YouTube will also offer automatic access for all South African media to its Partner Programme and support the SABC with direct ad sales and archive digitisation.

SANEF’s Hopewell Radebe elaborates, “The over abuse of products that come from newsrooms because journalists work hard to do interviews and all that and these tech giants’ platforms just take the products and make money out of it, so it is a very pleasing development. We have yet to study it closely and look at it. I think the debate of whether or not the compensation is fair or better will always be an issue that we hardly resolve, but this is better than nothing at this stage.”

Statement

13 November 2025

SANEF Congratulates the Competition Commission on the Release of the Final Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry Reporthttps://t.co/kbhmxOObn3

— SANEF (@SAEditorsForum) November 13, 2025