Viewers of the SABC1 soap opera Skeem Saam fell on Monday night after the show’s time slot was changed from 18:30 to 19:30.

The soap opera “achieved a massive historical audience rating of 3.2 million viewers last night,” according to a statement released by SABC on Tuesday, March 5.

 

Skeem Saam has competition from Mzansi Magic’s hit drama My Brother’s Keeper and the long-running soap opera Scandal! on e.tv.

The SABC1 viewers begged to have the timeslot changed, according to a statement from the channel’s head, Ofentse Thinane.Since many fans watch the show while traveling, Thinane stated that others found the 18:30 schedule to be too early.
Social media reacts to the decline of viewers because of the timeslot change, some users say. “It’s way too early to judge the Skeem Saam move by numbers. Migrating with 3.2 million viewers is nothing to scoff at. The show will be a formidable competition for Scandal at 19:30. Dare I say, Skeem Saam is likely to even beat Scandal? SABC, especially SABC1, has a wider pull than etv. I love TV ratings competitions, so I’m excited to see how this plays out.” @PhilMphela wrote

However, according to January research from the Broadcasting Research Council of South Africa (BRCSA), the serial opera attracted 4.5 million viewers. This indicates that between January and March 2024, the show lost 1.3 million viewers.

Skeem Saam has competition from Mzansi Magic’s hit drama My Brother’s Keeper and the long-running soap opera Scandal! on e.tv.

The SABC1 viewers begged to have the timeslot changed, according to a statement from the channel’s head, Ofentse Thinane.Since many fans watch the show while traveling, Thinane stated that others found the 18:30 schedule to be too early.
Social media reacts to the decline of viewers because of the timeslot change, some users say. “It’s way too early to judge the Skeem Saam move by numbers. Migrating with 3.2 million viewers is nothing to scoff at. The show will be a formidable competition for Scandal at 19:30. Dare I say, Skeem Saam is likely to even beat Scandal? SABC, especially SABC1, has a wider pull than etv. I love TV ratings competitions, so I’m excited to see how this plays out.” @PhilMphela wrote