The global reach of former US president Barack Obama presenting the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture scored a record viewership of 13.6-million for the SABC.
The popularity of its isiXhosa news was also a boon for the public broadcaster.
Providing an update of its audience numbers on Friday, the SABC said the live streaming of Obama’s Mandela lecture in July on SABC Digital News was the most popular video of the year on its digital platform, with more than 13.6-million views from around the globe.
Its YouTube channel (SABC Digital News) achieved just below 10-million views on average per month in 2018, nearly double its audience in 2017.
The SABC News Channel (404 on the DStv bouquet) also grew significantly, the broadcaster said.
Last year, the channel had an average monthly market share of 21,700; this year it was 35,768, the SABC said.
In the top 30 most viewed programmes on free-to-air channels, SABC isiXhosa and isiZulu News are ranked in the top 10, occupying the sixth and seventh spots respectively.
The group executive of news and current affairs, Phathiswa Magopeni, said that with the general elections coming up in 2019, SABC News "will continue to reflect the South African story in an unrestrained, responsible and balanced manner".
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