UCC directs TV broadcasters on local content

May 21, 2013

The Uganda Communications Commission has issued a directive requiring television broadcasters to prioritise local content.

By David Ssempijja

The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has issued a directive requiring television broadcasters to prioritise local content over foreign content, a move aimed at promoting national identity, culture and enhance benefits from works locally created.


In a recent notice, UCC, the regulator of the communications and broadcasting sector, revealed that free to air television station licensees must ensure that an average of 70% of its programming during prime time (6:00pm to 11:00pm) consists of Ugandan television content.

Of the 70% content required by UCC, 50% must feature drama, comedy and reality show programs, 10% will be reserved for local documentary programs, 5% for sports and 5% for children’s programs.

Pay TV subscription licensees must also ensure that a minimum average of 20% during the Uganda television performance period measured over the period of a year, consist of Ugandan television content

 “The UCC recognise the role played by local content in promoting national development, given the cultural and linguistic diversity of Uganda. It’s important that broadcasting stations in the country emphasise content relevant to the local audience and produced under Uganda’s creative control,” said the body executive director Eng. Godfrey Mutabaazi

 He added that the set quotas have been made after benchmarking with other countries like South Africa, Australia, Tanzania, Canada and Spain and through consultations with broadcasters, independent producers and other key players in the sector.

In the same spirit of deepening local content penetration in television broadcasting, local Tv content provider Pearl Sporto has entered a partnership to have space on the platform of channels broadcasted by StarTimes Digital pay television.

Launching the deal in Kampala last week, Sports minister Charles Bakkabulindi appealed to producers of television content to focus on information that has the positive bearing on the acceptable country’s socio-economic set-up.

The StarTimes country chief executive officer Kevin Chen said the company was sensitiveon local content to its audiences, a milestone that will be enhanced by the firm’s network coverage expansion plan to reach all regions of the country by the first quarter of next year

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