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Netflix faces being banned in SA soon

Cape Town – South Africa has become the latest African country to battle the arrival of the "unregulated" Netflix on the continent.

The South African Film and Publication Board (FPB) has given Netflix two weeks to comply with local regulations or face sanctions.

The FPB has also slapped Netflix South Africa with licensing fees that has not yet been paid.

South Africa is the latest African country now battling Netflix since the arrival of the global video streaming service at the beginning of January in multiple more countries, including the African continent.

The Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) in January already threatened to block Netflix in Kenya, saying it is "a threat to our moral values and national security" because Netflix fails to conform to Kenya's ratings and classification regulations as provided in law.

Netflix content in South Africa is not classified by the Film and Publication Board (FPB) although the Naspers video-on-demand (VOD) rival ShowMax does contain, show and adhere to the FPB classification system for South Africa which is different from the broader and general classification system Netflix uses globally.

According to Kenya's Standard, South Africa's FPB also offered Netflix the opportunity to have Netflix staff trained in South Africa's classification standards.

"Our values are different from the American values and their 16-year-old is not necessarily our 16-year-old and that's why they must re-rate the films in conformity with our standards," said Sipho Risibia, FPB chief operating officer (COO), according to the Standard.

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