The provisional report for the Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry (MDPMI) is expected to be published in October, the Competition Commission announced following the conclusion of the nearly month-long public hearings.

The Competition Commission held the hybrid public hearings from March 4 to March 27 to obtain input from stakeholders, including media associations, academics, print and broadcast media, community media, digital platforms, ad brokers and advertising technology (AdTech) service providers, on its probe into the distribution of media content on digital platforms operating in South Africa and the AdTech service providers.

The hearings, chaired by Competition Commission chief economist James Hodge and panel member Paula Fray, facilitated direct engagement with stakeholders and unpacked critical topics such as the digitalisation of news media, the interaction and monetisation of news media and digital platforms, the operations of digital platform markets, their relationship with news media and changes in user behaviour in the consumption of news media.

Following these sessions, and in response to requests from stakeholders, the Competition Commission decided to incorporate further supplementary processes into a now revised timetable, including in-camera sessions, to engage stakeholders on confidential information.

These sessions will be used where necessary for stakeholders to submit expert reports and to engage confidentially with the panel and for the panel to scrutinise the sensitive information submitted.

“Numerous critical issues were raised during these hearings and as a result, it became evident that a broader scope of information is necessary, specific to South Africa, to build a robust evidence-based assessment. Therefore, the MDPMI is in the process of compiling another comprehensive information request for relevant stakeholders,” the Competition Commission said in a statement released on Thursday.

“The complexity and extent of issues identified during the public hearings necessitate additional time for thorough analysis. Therefore, the MDPMI has revised its administrative timetable to allow for more time to ensure informed findings are made.”

“The MDPMI team remains committed to completing this important inquiry expeditiously but also ensuring the process delivers robust findings and appropriate remedies where required,” said Hodge.

The revised schedule diarised May 14, 2025, as the publication date for the final report, after securing further comment on the provisional report, which will be published on October 11, 2024. Further consultations will take place from November.