South Africa: Competition Commission released final report on Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry

On 13 November 2025, the Competition Commission of South Africa released the final report on the Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry (MDPMI), initiated under Section 43B(1)(a) of the Competition Act, following 24 months of evidence gathering and stakeholder engagement. The final report found that declining advertising income, limited subscription capacity, and the prominence of global platforms across search, social media, AdTech, and AI have weakened South Africa’s news media. It noted reductions in referral traffic, algorithmic prioritisation of foreign outlets, constrained opportunities for monetisation, and the unremunerated use of news content for AI training. The Competition Commission announced a package of remedies that includes a ZAR 688 million Media Support Package with Google and YouTube for content licensing, innovation and capacity building, expanded MSN publisher contracts, and monetisation and training initiatives by Meta, YouTube, TikTok and X. It also includes measures requiring greater AdTech transparency, the removal of self-preferencing practices by Google and the introduction of AI content controls aligned with the European Union’s approach. The Commission recommended introducing a block exemption to allow collective bargaining and developing content-moderation regulations under the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act.