Competition Commission Releases Final Report on Media & Digital Platforms Market Inquiry

Posted 13 November 2025 Written by Acts Online
Category Trade

Brought to you by SA Legal Academy: The Competition Commission has finalized its Media & Digital Platforms Market Inquiry (MDPMI), outlining a comprehensive package of remedies to address competition imbalances between digital platforms and South African news media.

In terms of section 43C of the Competition Act, No. 89 of 1998, the Commission has issued findings and recommendations following the inquiry launched in March 2023. The report identifies market features that distort competition and affect the sustainability of the local media ecosystem, particularly regarding how digital platforms aggregate and display news content.

Remedies and Financial Support

A central component of the recommendations is a R688 million media support package to be funded by Google and YouTube. This package is intended to support national, community, and vernacular media through several mechanisms:

  • Content licensing agreements between platforms and news publishers;
  • Innovation grants to facilitate digital transformation; and
  • Capacity-building initiatives for smaller media houses.

AdTech and Artificial Intelligence

The report further addresses competition concerns within the AdTech and Artificial Intelligence (AI) sectors. The Commission intends to align South African regulatory standards with leading global frameworks to ensure transparency in programmatic advertising and the fair use of content by AI models. These remedies aim to restore fairness in revenue sharing and data usage between global tech entities and local content creators.

What this means for you, your business, or your clients

  • For yourself: No direct individual compliance obligations; however, legal professionals should monitor the development of new content licensing templates arising from these recommendations.
  • For your business: Media firms and news publishers should prepare to engage with the R688 million support package and evaluate eligibility for innovation grants or content licensing revenue.
  • For your clients: Digital platforms and AdTech intermediaries must review their transparency protocols and revenue-sharing models to ensure alignment with the Commission’s forthcoming regulatory standards.

Originally published at https://legalacademy.co.za/news/read/media-digital-platforms-market-inquiry-final-report-released

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