Editing SABC 3 (section)

==History==
On 1 January 1982, two television services were introduced: TV2 broadcasting in [[Zulu language|Zulu]] and [[Xhosa language|Xhosa]] and TV3 broadcasting in [[Sotho language|Sotho]] and [[Tswana language|Tswana]], both targeted at a Black urban audience.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=rJ-uCwAAQBAJ&dq=TV2+broadcasting+in+Zulu+and+Xhosa+and+TV3+broadcasting+in+Sotho+and+Tswana%2C&pg=PA222 ''The Press and Apartheid: Repression and Propaganda in South Africa''], William A. Hachten, C. Anthony Giffard
Springer, 1984, page 222</ref> The main network, then called TV1, was divided evenly between English and Afrikaans, as before. In 1986, a new service called TV4 was introduced, carrying sports and entertainment programming, sharing the same television frequency used by TV2 and TV3; the new service started broadcasting at 9.30pm.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=NcQZ1D366t8C&q=%22TV4%22++&pg=PA68 ''Communication and Democratic Reform in South Africa''], Robert B. Horwitz, Cambridge University Press, 2001, page 68</ref>

In 1991, TV2, TV3 and TV4 were merged into a new service called CCV (Contemporary Community Values).<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=RxB1AAAAMAAJ&q=%22contemporary+community+values%22+sabc ''South Africa: Official Yearbook of the Republic of South Africa''], Department of Information, 1992, page 131</ref> A third network was introduced known as TSS, or TopSport Surplus, TopSport being the brand name for the SABC's sport coverage, but this was replaced by NNTV (National Network TV), an educational, non-commercial channel, in 1994.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=-NRDAQAAIAAJ&q=%22february+11%22++ ''The voice, the vision: a sixty year history of the South African Broadcasting Corporation''], Malcolm Theunissen, Victor Nikitin, Melanie Pillay, Advent Graphics, 1996, page 127</ref>
In 1996, the SABC reorganised its three TV channels with the aim of making them more representative of the various language groups. These new channels were called [[SABC 1]], [[SABC 2]] and SABC 3.

SABC3 inherited many of its programs from TV1, [[South Africa|South Africa's]] [[apartheid]]-era "white" channel. SABC 3 is targeted at South Africa's affluent English-speaking community; the channel's primary target market is viewers aged 18 to 49. It screens a combination of international programming from the [[United States]] and [[United Kingdom]], as well as locally produced [[soap opera]]s, [[talk show]]s and [[Drama (film and television)|drama series]]. SABC 3's new format stemmed largely from a 1997 decision to commercialise the broadacaster, reducing the amount of documentary content that it previously broadcast since the days of NNTV. The new line-up was driven by ratings.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Haffajee |first1=Ferial |title=SABC's radical changes |url=https://mg.co.za/article/1997-06-20-sabcs-radical-changes/ |work=[[Mail & Guardian]] |date=20 June 1997}}</ref>

SABC 3 moved its main news from 8pm to 7pm on 7 April 2003. It was rumoured that the new time was to compete with [[e.tv]]'s main bulletin, which was on at the same time, but these rumours were denied by Jimi Matthews, who had moved from the rival broadcaster.<ref>"Changes at SABC news", ''Africa Film & TV Magazine'', nº. 36, February–April 2003</ref>

The channel's HD broadcasts began on 11 June 2018, in time for the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]], alongside [[SABC 1]]. As of June 2018, the channel started broadcasting in high definition.<ref>{{cite web |title=SABC GOING HIGH DEFINITION FOR THE 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP IN RUSSIA|url=https://web.sabc.co.za/sabc/home/tvob/events/details?id=c13f39d6-77c7-432d-9ca0-a1076db7b7ca&title=SABC%20GOING%20HIGH%20DEFINITION%20FOR%20THE%202018%20FIFA%20WORLD%20CUP%20IN%20RUSSIA |access-date=11 July 2024 |website=SABC |date=7 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240711111046/http://web.sabc.co.za/sabc/home/tvob/events/details?id=c13f39d6-77c7-432d-9ca0-a1076db7b7ca&title=SABC%20GOING%20HIGH%20DEFINITION%20FOR%20THE%202018%20FIFA%20WORLD%20CUP%20IN%20RUSSIA |archive-date=11 July 2024}}</ref>

In April 2021, the channel rebranded and is stylised as S3.