Johannesburg – Rejecting suggestions that it was bowing to political pressure, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has released benchmark stats that indicate “Face the Nation” was performing poorly before it was dumped.
Denying that political interference was the reason the public broadcaster pulled the plug on the show, the SABC on Tuesday, 24 March 2026, said it “notes the ongoing public discourse regarding recent programming changes”.
RELATED: SABC Dumps Clement Manyathela’s TV Show: Presidency Denies Political Interference – The Bulrushes
The SABC said Face the Nation, hosted by Clement Manyathela, had an average audience rating that “reflects a material and sustained underperformance against the channel’s primetime target”.
The corporation said that, given the benchmarks, it unequivocally confirms that the decision to dump Face the Nation was “free from any political interference and was guided strictly by internal editorial, strategic, and performance criteria”.
The SABC added: “The current programming changes form part of a broader channel and schedule review, which considered multiple factors, including audience performance data, content relevance, scheduling optimisation, programme costing, and the evolving needs of South African audiences.
“It is important to emphasise that these decisions are not centred on any individual, but rather on the overall performance and strategic fit of programmes within the channel’s refreshed content approach.”
The SABC said over a 12-month period (April 2025 – March 2026), Face the Nation recorded the following performance indicators, benchmarked against the SABC News Channel’s primetime performance targets:
| METRIC | PROGRAMME ACTUAL PERFORMANCE | SABC BENCHMARK / TARGET | INTERPRETATION |
| Average Slot Audience | ±121,000 viewers | ±259,475 viewers | Materially Below Slot Benchmark |
| Average Audience rating (AR) | ±0.1% | 1% Target | Sustained Underperformance vs Target |
| Slot Programme Ranking | Outside Top 5 | Top 5 Benchmark | Below Top 5 Benchmark |
| Total Programme Competitive Ranking | 42nd Overall | Top 30 Benchmark | Weak Competitive Positioning in a High-Value Slot |
*Source: BRC TAMS, April 2025 – March 2026
The SABC explained that across the broader local news environment, top-performing programmes are predominantly live, rolling and event-driven formats.
The SABC said, importantly, it operates within a competitive environment.
“While fulfilling its public service mandate, the Corporation derives more than 80% of its revenue from commercial activities, with the government funding about 4% and TV Licence fees covering about 16%,” the broadcaster said.
“In this context, programming decisions must balance public mandate with audience behaviour and commercial sustainability.”
The SABC emphasised that the decision to drop the show forms part of a “broader strategic realignment of its news portfolio, spanning both free-to-air and pay-TV services, and should not be interpreted as an isolated action relating to any individual programme or personnel”.
The SABC said in this instance, it provided audience performance data in response to significant public interest.
“Such disclosures are not standard practice due to commercial considerations and have been made in the interest of transparency, without establishing a precedent for future decision-making processes,” the broadcaster said.
The SABC stated that it remains committed to delivering high-quality, credible, and relevant content in the service of the South African public.
The post SABC Releases Proof ‘Face The Nation’ Was Performing Poorly Before It Was Dumped appeared first on The Bulrushes.
