The real cost of a Top Billing audition: Industry experts break down the numbers
· Citizen
The search for South Africa’s next Top Billing presenter has officially closed, capping off a competition that has reignited public interest in one of local television’s most storied talent pipelines.
First launched in 2012 as My Top Billing Dream Presenter Search and later rebranded Presenter Search on 3 in 2015, the format has previously launched the careers of names including the late Simba Mhere, Jonathan Boynton-Lee, Thabiso Makhubela and Ryle De Morny.
Visit truewildgame.com for more information.
This year’s iteration returned as part of Top Billing‘s broader comeback on SABC 3, following the show’s premiere on 30 April after a hiatus since 2019. True to its social-first approach, entrants were required to post audition videos publicly on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok – tagging @TopBillingTV and @SABC3 and using the hashtags #TopBillingPresenterSearch and #TopBillingAudition – with shortlisted candidates set to progress to in-person auditions provisionally scheduled for July and August.
But behind the glossy 60-second clips lies a less glamorous reality: production costs, crew logistics and mounting pressure to look broadcast-ready before you’ve even landed the job.
View this post on Instagram
How many people does it actually take to film an entry?
According to Kuda Jemba, award-winning film director and founder of Chopped and Skrewed Productions, a presenter would realistically need a small crew to pull off a quality submission. “Realistically two to three people,” Jemba told The Citizen.
Xara Fourie, digital media producer and founder of Wonderland Productions, offered a broader range depending on ambition. She said a full production team of around five people, excluding the presenter, was possible for the highest-quality entries, but added that “it’s highly possible to get a great quality entry with one to two people.”
The price tag behind the polish
Cost estimates from the two experts varied, largely depending on access to industry favours.
Jemba put the figure at between R10 000 and R15 000 for a professionally produced entry, though he noted his own studio had done similar work for free as part of a trade deal.
@leandiedurandtEntering Top Billing @Top Billing Presenter Search in the hopes of becoming one of their new hosts to join the @S3 show’s all-star team Thanks to each and everyone of you who already supports my career and dreams! Can’t do this without YOU! #TopBillingPresenterSearch #TopBillingAudition
♬ original sound – Leandie du Randt
Fourie’s estimate was more conservative, pricing a more pocket-friendly professional entry at between R3 000 and R5 000, “obviously not accounting for entrants that have relationships with people in production who may be calling in favours,” she added.
Who scouts the locations – and does it cost anything?
Responsibility for location scouting appears to fall largely on the entrant.
“The presenter is responsible since it’s for them,” said Jemba. Fourie broadly agreed, noting that only entrants with a full-scale production team would typically have a producer handling this on their behalf, while those with smaller teams “may be the ones doing it” themselves.
On cost, both experts suggested it was often possible to film for free.
@fiki_orzim_officialyou guys wanted me to go all out for the @Top Billing presenter search…. so i did @S3 #topbillingpresentersearch #topbillingaudition
♬ original sound – Fiki_orzim_official
Jemba said this depended on the specific location, while Fourie explained that many venues waive fees in exchange for favourable exposure: “A lot of the time locations would agree to do these based on the fact that they’re locations would be mentioned and featured in a favourable light in exchange for filming on location.”
A growing pressure to look the part
Both experts agreed that the bar for production value has risen noticeably since the search relaunched. Jemba believes entrants are keen to prove they bring more than just on-camera talent to the table: “Entrants want to show that beyond presenting they also have a team that can bring to life that glossy look of Top Billing.”
Fourie went further, noting a visible escalation over the course of the competition.
“The production value of these entries have definitely increased as the competition has been moving along, which is causing pressure on newer entrants to match/exceed the quality of what is out there in hopes of standing out,” she said.
The cost of chasing a dream job
For all the excitement around Top Billing’s return, the financial reality facing hopefuls raises a broader question about access and fairness in the industry.
@mulisamudau_The best of the good life? …Say less. I’m in!!! @Top Billing @SABC 3 #TopBillingPresenterSearch #TopBilling
♬ original sound – Mulisa SPONONO Mudau
Not every aspiring presenter can lean on a trade deal or an industry contact to offset costs – meaning some entrants may be priced out of competing on equal footing for one of South African television’s most coveted roles, long before a single audition is judged.