SuperSport United, the Premier Soccer League (PSL) team owned by MultiChoice Group subsidiary SuperSport, is being sold to an entity linked to the former Bloemfontein Celtic football club.
According to a SuperSport statement on Thursday, the sale to Siwelele Football Club was agreed following a closed bidding process. It remains subject to approval by the management of the PSL.
“The sale of the club comes as SuperSport makes strategic shifts to allow us to remain the biggest broadcaster in Africa and a leading global competitor,” said SuperSport CEO Rendani Ramovha in the statement.
“Shifts in the market, as well as the need to innovate in accordance with our core business, have necessitated focused direction to allow SuperSport to remain the best sports content provider on the continent and a leader in broadcast innovation.”
Ramovha did not specifically explain how not owning SuperSport United would help with that strategy. However, changes to the broadcasting landscape, including the rise of streaming services like Netflix, have seen SuperSport sister company DStv struggling maintain market share and hang onto its subscribers.
In its results for the year ended 31 March 2025, MultiChoice reported it had lost 1.2 million subscribers in its pay-TV business over the period, while it reported a staggering R2.3-billion in trading losses, in part related the relaunch of streamer Showmax to better compete with Netflix et al.
Unbundling
Its cash position also deteriorated significantly, with the group incurring free cash outflows of about R500-million. The latest cashflow numbers were knocked lower by a decline in profits and higher lease repayments and came despite a 29% year-on-year reduction in capital expenditure and improved working capital management.
Speaking to TechCentral in an interview after publication of the results, group CEO Calvo Mawela said MultiChoice is considering an effective unbundling of SuperSport from DStv.
According to Mawela, the broadcaster has launched an investigation that could result in consumers being able to choose a DStv general entertainment subscription without SuperSport channels.
The sale of SuperSport United ends a 31-year relationship between MultiChoice and the Pretoria-based side, which began in July 1994 when M-Net bought what was then the Pretoria City football club. The rebrand to SuperSport United took place in 1997 and coincided with the team’s first major trophy win, the Bob Save Superbowl.
Read: MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv
SuperSport United won three consecutive Premier League titles in the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons. They have also won various other trophies including the Nedbank Cup, MTN8 and Telkom Knockout competitions. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media
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