Share

Skeem Saam loses millions of viewers!

accreditation
Cast of Skeem Saam
Cast of Skeem Saam

LAST May, SABC1’s prime-time soapie Skeem Saam had reached 9 million viewers, becoming the country’s second most-watched show. But things quickly changed when death and departures rocked the show, resulting in ratings dropping to an all-time low.

Meanwhile, rival soapie Scandal! grabbed the third position from Skeem Saam with 4.6 million viewers. This was while Skeem Saam viewership tanked to 4.4 million in December last year, according to the Broadcasting Research Council of South Africa.

ALSO READ: REALITY TV STAR: LOVE OR HATE ME!

Skeem Saam suffered major losses, including the death of Charles Maja, who played Big Boy Mabitsela, and the abrupt departure of Lesego Marakalla after an eight-year tenure at the helm as Rachel – who viewers loved to hate. The inclusion of Candy Mokwena, who played Bafedile, did nothing to appease viewers.

Meanwhile, Amanda Du-Pont, who has been off-screen for months, is reprising her role as the evil Lelo Mthiyane who viewers love to hate.

In a previous interview, SABC1’s head of channel Phumzile Zonke told Daily Sun that Skeem Saam performed well because it told authentic stories that resonated with the audience.

“We tell stories that people relate to; stories that are not far-fetched from the audience. So there’s a connection between the characters and viewers,” he said at the time.

Get the best in Soccer, News and Lifestyle content with SNL24 PLUS
For 14 free days, you can have access to the best from Soccer Laduma, KickOff, Daily Sun, TrueLove and Drum. Thereafter you will be billed R29 per month. You can cancel anytime and if you cancel within 14 days you won't be billed.
Subscribe to SNL24 PLUS
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
What do you value most personally?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Earning tons of money
21% - 5 votes
Career Progression
4% - 1 votes
Work-Life balance
75% - 18 votes
Vote
Let us know what you think

Contact the People’s Paper with feedback on stories and how we could make dailysun.co.za even better!

Learn more
Do you have a story for the People’s Paper?

Click below to contact our news desk and share your story with SunLand!

Let's do it!