The South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) acting Chief Operations Officer, Craig van Rooyen, has described as financially sustainable the agreement reached between the public broadcaster and the MultiChoice Group’s SuperSport.
His statement comes as the Premier Soccer League (PSL) matches return to the SABC radio and television stations.
Under the agreement, the SABC will be allowed to broadcast PSL matches for the next five years. The agreement includes radio and television.
Van Rooyen says the agreement is aligned to the goal of having a financially sustainable public broadcaster.
“There will be 66 matches over the series of matches through the season and those will include the ABSA Premiership matches, the MTN8, the Telkom Knockout, as well as the Nedbank Cup so it includes all of the major derbies. It also includes the finals, the semi-finals, and the quarter-finals of those major matches.”
The South African public will be able to watch Premier Soccer League soccer matches on free to air from this weekend.
Football lovers, who didn’t have access to SuperSport, were left stranded since the new PSL season kicked-off three weeks ago.
It was confirmed on the eve of the start of the season that the SABC would not broadcast the opening matches on the third and fourth of August its platforms. This was after the public broadcaster and SuperSport failed to reach an agreement on a R280 million a year and 144 matches per season proposal.
Due to its current financial situation, the SABC could not afford it.
The blackout prompted both the Minister of Sport Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthetwa, and Communications Minister, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, to intervene.
