The SABC has secured sublicensing rights from MultiChoice Group-owned SuperSport to broadcast Saturday’s Castle Lager Rugby Championship clash between the Springboks and the All Blacks at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg.
The deal, which appears to have been reached at the last moment – a SuperSport statement about the arrangement was published late on Friday – appears to have come following pressure by sports minister Gayton McKenzie. The “partnership” has been described by the parties as being “in celebration of 30 years of democracy”.
In recent weeks, Mackenzie has been agitating for all Springbok rugby matches to be carried on the SABC. SuperSport, in its statement, however, made it clear that the arrangement for Saturday’s test match is a “once-off”.
“Having had discussions with Saru (the South African Rugby Union) and minister Gayton McKenzie, we decided to join hands in celebration of 30 years of democracy,” said SuperSport CEO Rendani Ramovha in the statement.
“This special match between the two great rugby-playing nations sits at the centre of the birth of democracy in our country, coupled with the fact that it is exactly 30 years ago that the Springboks and the All Blacks clashed for the first time in the post-election era; hence the broadcasting of this match by both SuperSport and the SABC in this once-off celebration,” Ramohva said.
It’s not clear from the statement whether the SABC is paying SuperSport for the sublicensing rights. However, Mark Alexander, president of Saru, stated: “We want to thank SuperSport for this selfless act of generosity in partnering the SABC, which will result in South Africans being able to share in this momentous occasion.”
Openview?
The SABC will broadcast the game on SABC 2, on its 24-hour sports channel, the SABC+ streaming service and various radio stations.
It’s not officially confirmed yet whether the rights allow the SABC to carry the match on Openview, the free-to-air satellite platform owned by eMedia Holdings. However, it’s understood the agreement with SuperSport does not preclude the game being screened via Openview. (Update: The game was broadcast on Openview.)
eMedia has fought several legal skirmishes with MultiChoice over the sublicensing rights to the SABC, arguing that these rights should extend to the SABC’s channels carried by Openview. MultiChoice has accused eMedia of seeking to broadcast the games “for free” through the back door. – © 2024 NewsCentral Media
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