But beyond the headline-grabbing figure, the report takes a far more nuanced and strategic approach - it doesn't just call for financial compensation from search, social media and AI companies or the establishment of a media industry fund. Instead, it seeks to tackle the root causes of Big Tech's anti-competitive conduct and fundamentally reshape the digital market to create fairer competitive dynamics.
This piece was originally published on Michael Markovitz's Substack, Media Explorations - read the original article here
Launched on 24 February in Johannesburg, this is the most significant report to date from an independent "Global South" regulator taking on Big Tech and AI's impact on news.
What makes this report particularly compelling is that it moves beyond the typical pay-for-harm model. Instead of merely compensating media houses for lost revenue, it includes proposals to fix the competition problem itself, ensuring that digital platforms don't just pay for past damage but are forced to change the way they operate in the South African market. This signals a shift in regulatory thinking - one that aims not just to repair the media industry's losses but to reshape the digital ecosystem for fairer, more sustainable competition in the future.