The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has officially launched its Sports Channel, following the successful soft launch of the 24-hour channel on the SABC DTT service, the Open View set-top-box, and the TelkomOne mobile streaming platform in April 2021.
Thursday’s launch also features Team SA’s announcement of the second team squad for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games on the Sports Channel.
The event is currently live on SABC Sport Channel on Openview 124, the SABC’s DTT service and TelkomONE’s mobile platform.
Below is the live broadcast of the launch:
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games second team squad
SABC Sport General Manager, Gary Rathbone, says: “SABC Sport has always been the ultimate sporting home to the nation and has brought to South Africa unforgettable sporting events over the years. We are excited that as SABC Sport we will be part of the historic moment of unveiling the athletes who will be proudly representing the nation at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. For the public broadcaster, we are aware of the role we also play in touching the hearts and minds of the public. Through the events we showcase on the SABC platforms, we want to inspire up-and-coming athletes in the various sporting disciplines to reach for their dreams.”
Rathbone says the channel has been doing well since April.
“Our newly launched Sports Channel on the DTT, OpenView, and TelkomOne platforms, must also be commended. Since the Channel became operational in April this year, its audience figures have been positive, with the latest TAMS figure showing a total reach of over 2 million, a 5 % share of the National Television Market.
On OpenView alone, the channel has established itself amongst the top 10 on the bouquet, with a total reach of over 1.4 million, representing a 24% share of the OpenView market. This is really positive start for an exciting new Sport Channel that South Africans will be able to access without needing to pay a subscription”.
The SABC Sport Channel aims to provide compelling and exciting local and international sporting content for all sports-loving South Africans.
