Here’s how to tell if you will be affected by the digital TV migration

Households with an income of less than R3,500 a month can get a free TV decoder to access 19 channels.

27 January 2022 - 13:24
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Low income earners are encouraged by Sapo to apply to receive a decoder for free before the analogue television signal is switched off in March.
Low income earners are encouraged by Sapo to apply to receive a decoder for free before the analogue television signal is switched off in March.
Image: 123RF/Marco Ciannarel

Households that receive television signals from services including DStv, StarSat and OpenView HD and those with smart digital TVs will not be affected by the migration from analogue to digital TV. 

This is according to the department of communications and digital technologies, which on Wednesday called on qualifying low-income households to apply for a government subsidy for migration from analogue to digital TV before the end of March. 

“If you own a smart digital TV and live in an area that has digital terrestrial network coverage you do not need an additional decoder and will not be affected by the analogue switch off.

“If it says digital tuner in the user manual you have a digital TV. Ensure your TV is connected via an external ultra-high frequency (UHF); run a manual or auto channel search to test if your TV can receive digital channels,” said the department.

Households with an income of less than R3,500 a month can get a free TV decoder to access 19 music, education and news channels after the migration in March, provided they produce the required documentation, including ID documents, proof of residence and bank statements. 

Qualifying households can apply for a government subsidised TV decoder at the SA Post Office. 


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