Drama series Uzalo is South Africa’s favourite television show.
This is according to data from the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRCSA), which published its list of South Africa’s most-watched shows on SABC stations, e.tv, and DStv in October.
Although streaming services are rapidly growing in South Africa, broadcast television is still far bigger for now.
Uzalo recorded more than 9.88 million viewers, outstripping big-budget series such as The Queen and major sports events such as the Soweto derby
Not far behind was soapie Generations the Legacy, with 9.1 million viewers. In third place was Skeem Saam, also on SABC1, with 6.9 million viewers, followed by Muvhango (5.57 million) on SABC 2, and e.tv’s Scandal (5.5 million).
The most-watched sporting event in October was the Soweto derby, which brought in 4 million viewers.
DStv’s closest competitor was The Queen, with 1.6 million viewers, and SABC3’s top viewed show was Isidingo: The Need , with 1 million viewers.
96% of South Africans watch live TV, according to the BRCSA.
Uzalo is set in KwaMashu in KwaZulu-Natal and tells the story of two-family dynasties, the Mdletshes and the Xulus.
Through September, the show set a record for viewership with the second episode of its recent two-parter wedding storyline, that reached 10.2 million viewers, reported Channel24.
The series has had its fair share of drama off screen when, in September, producers Stained Glass shut the set down for a week over payment disputes with the SABC.
The previous South African viewing record had been set on 11 June 2010, for the opening match between South Africa and Mexico of the FIFA World Cup that reached a combined broadcast viewership between SABC1 and SuperSport 3, of 10.14 million.
