MDPMI provisional report to be released this year

By None on January 7, 2025

07 Jan 2025

The release of the Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry (“MDPMI”/ “Inquiry”) provisional report has been extended to early 2025. This decision was made to ensure the provisional report meets the highest accuracy, thoroughness, and credibility standards.

The MDPMI commenced on 17 October 2023 in terms of section 43B(1)(a) of the Competition Act 89 of 1998 (as amended) (“the Act”). The Inquiry was initiated because the Commission has reason to believe that there are market features on digital platforms that distribute news media content that impede, distort, or restrict competition, or undermine the purposes of the Act, and which have material implications for the news media sector of South Africa.

The revised timeline reflects the Inquiry’s dedication to addressing critical factors essential to the report’s quality, including:

Further consultations with experts were conducted to resolve emerging questions and address unresolved issues. These supplementary engagements were vital to ensuring the report’s accuracy and completeness, in a dynamic digital environment.
We remain mindful of stakeholders’ expectations for a credible and detailed document, this extension underscores our dedication to meeting those expectations.
A substantial number of submissions were received containing complex information such as in AdTech and AI, each requiring a detailed analysis to ensure accuracy.
Expert contributions required specialised scrutiny to ensure accurate interpretation into the report.

The high level of technical detail in these submissions necessitated additional time for comprehensive evaluation.

Additionally, the provisional report must be subjected to internal Competition Commission review processes and decisions, which have also impacted the original timeline.

The provisional report will include initial findings, remedies, and recommendations and will allow for six weeks of stakeholder comments.

The MDPMI team is committed to maintaining transparency as it works towards the completion of the provisional report. Updates on our progress will be shared to keep all stakeholders informed.

Furthermore, in light of the ongoing global discussions regarding the value of news, the Publisher Support Services (PSS) has submitted calculations based on various financial models to assess its value. We invite stakeholders to visit our website at https://www.compcom.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Publisher-Support-Services-Financial-Models-on-the-Value-of-News-Dec-2024.pdf and share feedback. All other Inquiry documents as well as public versions of stakeholder submissions are available on the Inquiry’s website at https://www.compcom.co.za/media-and-digital-platforms-market-inquiry/.