CA demands 60pc local TV content within four years
The Communications Authority (CA) board chairman Ben Gituku. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
The Communications Authority says the rules will become applicable once a new programming code comes into force in the next few months.
The regulator says the proposal to have local shows being the dominant feature on television stations is driven by the need to grow the local film industry and create more employment.
Television broadcasters have four years to increase local shows in their programming to 60 per cent, as per new regulations prepared by the Communications Authority.
The regulator says the rules will become applicable once a new programming code comes into force in the next few months.
“Television stations shall ensure, within one year of award of licence, not less than 40 per cent of their station’s programming is local content,” said the CA director of multimedia services Leo Boruett at a press briefing on Thursday.
“Broadcasters’ local content programming should increase to 60 per cent within four years after receipt of licence. The local content programming referred to in this paragraph excludes news and advertising.”
The regulator says the proposal to have local shows being the dominant feature on television stations is driven by the need to grow the local film industry and create more employment.
Kenyan broadcasters have preferred to air foreign shows, citing their better quality and lower cost compared to local productions.
The stations mostly air shows from South America, the US, Nigeria and India.
“This 60 per cent has been brought about to create jobs for Kenyans because local content is the only way we are going to get our people to produce more and our artists get more money,” said CA board chairman Ben Gituku.
The CA is yet to set out the financial penalties it will impose on those who fail to achieve the set local content targets.
It, however, says that those who fail to comply will be required to pay an amount of money for every year they fail to meet the threshold.
Treasury secretary Henry Rotich in his national budget speech zero-rated film equipment imports, giving the drive to increase the number of shows produced in the country a big boost.
The zero-rating will see filmmaking equipment like cameras, lenses, editing suites, lights, dollies and other studio equipment become cheaper.
Besides the local content, the code has maintained that TV stations will air a maximum of 14 minutes in advertisements per hour.
The proposed laws also bar the airing of programmes that are rated 16 and above from 5am to 10pm as it seeks to protect minors from adult content.
Radio stations will also not be allowed to broadcast or talk about sex during these hours.
Mr Boruet said they expect the new regulations will come into force in about two months.
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