- Commission urges creation of a social media Ombud to oversee platform conduct and public complaints.
- Department of Communication and Digital Technology is called to regulate content moderation under Electronic Communications and Transactions Act.
- Platforms found to suppress journalism, distort revenue, and exclude community media from monetisation.
The Competition Commission has called for the urgent creation of a social media Ombud to oversee public complaints against digital platforms.
In its Final Report on the Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry (MDPMI), the Commission recommends that the Department of Communication and Digital Technology “develop content moderation regulations under the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, including the establishment of a Social Media Ombud to oversee public complaints”.
This recommendation follows extensive evidence that platforms such as Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and X distort visibility, suppress credible journalism, and amplify misinformation. The Commission found that “social media platforms offer limited monetisation options and deprioritise news content, particularly from local and community publishers”.
Platforms dominate access but offer little in return
The MDPMI confirms that global platforms have concentrated market power across search, social media, and digital advertising. “Google holds a significant share of the search engine market, affecting local media referral traffic and revenue,” the report states. “There is a notable algorithmic bias against local, vernacular, and community media”.
Social media platforms play an outsized role in distributing news but offer limited monetisation options. The SABC relies heavily on YouTube for reach but earns minimal revenue. Community media face technical and financial barriers to accessing monetisation programmes even as their stories circulate widely. AI-powered tools add another layer of exploitation, the inquiry found.
The Commission found that “generative AI systems have used South African news content to train models and generate responses, without licensing or compensation”. While news comprises a small portion of training data, the practice undermines the value of original journalism and raises serious questions about consent and control.
In digital advertising, the Commission found that “Google’s dominance across the AdTech stack has entrenched dependency and limited competition”. Its bundled systems “give preferential treatment to its own exchange, reducing transparency and inflating costs for publishers”.
The Commission recommends that the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition issue a block exemption under the Competition Act to allow collective bargaining by South African media. This would cover “platform monetisation, AI licensing, AdTech pricing and joint ad-sales for community media”.
Remedies offer relief, but regulation must follow
Following two months of negotiation, the Commission secured a R688 million Media Support Package with Google and YouTube. This includes content licensing, innovation grants, and funding for vernacular-language training through the Media Development and Diversity Agency. Google will also introduce tools to prioritise local news, provide technical assistance, share audience data, and establish an African News Innovation Forum.
Microsoft will expand its MSN contracts to five additional national publishers. Meta will open a Media Liaison Office in South Africa and remove monetisation barriers through workshops and ad credits. YouTube will grant automatic Partner Programme access to all South African media and support the SABC with direct ad sales and archive digitisation. TikTok will roll out its Publisher Support Suite, and X Corp will localise monetisation programmes and offer training.
AI companies will offer South African media the same content controls and opt-out mechanisms available in the EU, alongside biannual training to support a fair market for licensed content. Google will extend EU-style transparency measures and remove self-preferencing in its ad systems.
Oversight is overdue and the public deserves protection
The Commission’s call for a Social Media Ombud is part of a broader effort to ensure that platforms operating in South Africa are subject to public accountability. Without regulation, platforms will continue to operate without consequence. The MDPMI concludes that “news media is essential for democracy, serving as the cornerstone of public accountability and informed citizens”.
Reflecting on the significance of these actions, MDPMI Chair James Hodge said: “The Final Report and these remedies represent a landmark step toward rebalancing digital markets, protecting fair competition, and rebuilding the long-term sustainability of South Africa’s news media. They reaffirm that a healthy, independent, and diverse press is essential to democracy, and that collective action, equitable regulation, and platform accountability are vital to safeguarding that principle for the digital future.”
The final report of the MDPMI will be handed over by Competition Commissioner Doris Tshepe to Honourable Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau.
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