Tensions between the SABC and SuperSport parent MultiChoice Group appear to be easing following the conclusion of various sports sublicensing deals, including news on Monday that the Betway Premiership, also known as the Premier Soccer League (PSL), which kicked off this past weekend, will be carried by the public broadcaster.
“The latest sublicensing agreement with the SABC is another step towards a strong relationship with the public broadcaster…,” said SuperSport CEO Rendani Ramovha in a statement on Monday.
According to SABC CEO Nomsa Chabeli, the rights package includes a total of 51 matches comprising of 23 Betway Premiership (Premier Soccer League) matches, 10 Carling Black Label Cup matches, 12 Nedbank Cup matches and six National First Division matches. League matches will be broadcast every Saturday on SABC 1 during the league season, she said.
Other recently concluded sublicensing agreements between the broadcasters include a deal for the MTN8 soccer tournament as well as for the semi-final and final of the Currie Cup rugby. The Currie Cup final will be fought between the Fidelity ADT Lions and the Hollywood Bets Sharks XV at Emirates Airline Park this Saturday, 21 September.
The closer relationship between the broadcasters follows a period of ructions, especially regarding the extension of the SABC’s sublicensing rights to eMedia’s Openview platform, which SuperSport has at times explicitly excluded in contractual agreements with the public broadcaster. In July, newly appointed communications minister Solly Malatsi and his colleague in the sports ministry, Gayton McKenzie, waded into the battle between eMedia and MultiChoice in an effort to find a solution.
Springboks vs All Blacks
This resulted in a “once-off agreement” for the Rugby Championship rugby match between South Africa and New Zealand at Emirates Airline Park on 31 August. The broadcasters attributed the agreement to the celebration of 30 years of democracy in South Africa.
Read: PSL football is coming to Showmax
TechCentral has asked the SABC whether the latest agreement excludes or includes the broadcast of the matches on its channels on Openview. The publication will update this article if and when feedback is received. – © 2024 NewsCentral Media
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