Abstract
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) conference convened in 2005 culminated in a resolution that countries that form part of the ITU migrate from analog transmission to digital terrestrial television (DTT) by 2015, to improve spectrum efficiency, signal quality, and access to broadcasting services. Despite setting an early analog switch-off target of 2011, South Africa did not meet the deadline it had set, nor did the country meet the ITU deadline. South Africa has experienced prolonged delays in completing its DTT migration, even after substantial public expenditure. Notable progress has been made in recent years to accelerate the finalisation of the DTT project. Notwithstanding the accelerated efforts over recent years, eleven years after the initial deadline for the digital transition, South Africa had not fully transitioned to DTT. This study investigates the factors contributing to the delayed implementation of South Africa’s DTT project. The research objectives of the study were to assess the management of the DTT project through project management and the Technology Adoption Model theoretical lens. The study examines the relationship between budget allocation and project performance and identifies institutional and governance challenges affecting implementation. The study adopts a mixed-methods research strategy and an idiosyncratic case study design approach, drawing on secondary data from official reports and policy documents. Pearson’s Statistical Test result of 0.898 indicated that there is a strong positive correlation between budget allocation and project success (coverage). Given that the t-test is 4.076, which is greater than the critical t-value of 2.776, the null hypothesis was rejected as there was a relationship between budget allocation and project success. Using an inductive thematic approach, the study found that regulatory uncertainty, lack of contingency plans, ineffective stakeholder engagement, and lack of risk management resulted in prolonged DTT migration.