The SABC has announced that Generations: The Legacy will be off air for a month, amid reports that the soapie's producers are in a “contractual dispute” with the broadcaster.
In a statement to TshisaLIVE, the SABC said it would screen selected iconic episodes of the soapie from Monday, “in celebration of its indomitable records, reminiscing on talent who went on to become household names and storytelling spanning 28 years”.
However, a Sunday World report said the decision was made to cover up the fact that no new episodes were being shot and to buy both parties time to settle a “dispute”.
The paper claimed that the length of each episode was at the heart of the dispute. Mfundi Vundla's Morula Pictures rejected the SABC's decision to reduce episodes from 24 to 22 minutes, to allow the SABC to air more adverts and bring in potential revenue.
“Two minutes of 24 minutes might appear a drop in the ocean in the eyes of an ordinary person, but if you look at those minutes per month, it’s exactly 40 minutes, so the producers stand to lose a lot of money if they agree to these new terms and conditions. Remember, they get paid per minute,” a source told the publication.
In the meantime, the SABC will screen episodes featuring Archie Moroka, Kenneth Mashaba, Karabo Moroka, Julia Motene and Glen Majosis.
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