DStv Multichoice has suffered a major blow following the announcement by SABC that they have acquired rights to broadcast English Premier Lague games.
This has a huge impact on the satellite television provider since most of the major bouquet customers pay to watch beloved football games.
In a statement, the national broadcaster is in partnership with Gemini Sports Media through the rights holders Infront Sports France.
The statement reads;
Wednesday, 19 July 2023 – The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is pleased to announce the acquisition of the world’s most followed football league, The English Premier League via a partnership with Gemini Sports Media through the rights holders Infront Sports France.
The acquisition of The English Premier League is testament to the SABC’s commitment to continuously fulfill its public service mandate by providing access of sports of national interest to South African citizens.
The English Premier League 2023/2024 season will kick-off on 12 August 2023 and will be broadcast to South Africa across the SABC Sport linear TV and digital platforms, which include www.sabcsport.com and SABC+
The English Premier SABC Sport will be the primary broadcast platform for the live presentation of matches with SABC 3, www.sabcsport.com and SABC+ also carrying the games live simultaneously. This is in line with the SABC Sport’s strategic objective of making the world’s greatest football league available to all audiences.
All the live match presentations will include a live studio build up with match previews and latest team and player news, presented by the SABC Sport anchors and top analysts, both on TV and Digital platforms.
As part of the “always-on” digital strategy, all the latest news, score updates, log table, streaming services and live match commentary will be available on the SABC Sport digital platforms, ensuring that the audiences don’t miss a single minute of the English Premier League
The SABC’s Head of Sport, Ms Keletso Totlhanyo stated that “The acquisition of the league has always been a strategic direction of the SABC. The English Premier League creates various marketing opportunities for the SABC Sport and other SABC brands. We will optimally use this event to create a sense of euphoria for South Africans everywhere and we look forward to a long lasting partnership with Gemini Sport Media”.
Gemini Sport Media spokesperson Carrie Davis stated “We are thrilled to embark on this journey with the SABC. The EPL presents a tremendous opportunity for brands to connect with a broad audience of sports fans. Our mission is to make the EPL accessible to all South Africans, ensuring that the excitement and passion of this league reach every corner of the country.
Gemini and SABC Sport will also be hosting a EPL Fantasy league and the winners will get loads of prizes: To join the Gemini Sport – SABC League use League code: 7w0vb7 on the official EPL App.
Follow SABC Sport and Gemini Sports Media on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for updates.
ENDS
Issued By: Group Communications
Media Enquiries: Mmoni Seapolelo (Acting Group Executive: Corporate Affairs & Marketing)
[email protected] | T. 011 714 3057 | C. 073 688 1590
What This Means For DStv Multichoice
The move by SABC could dent the earnings for Southern Africa’s pay-TV as more people used to pay premium bouquets to watch the EPL which is about to commence next month.
The new Premier League season starts on the weekend of August 11-14, 2023 and concludes on Sunday, May 19, 2024, with all final-day games kicking off at the same time.
SABC is mostly watched on free-to-air decoders making it difficult for multichoice to make more money as people are likely to switch.
However, UEFA Champions League and La Liga remain on DStv giving the company a bit of breathing space to eke out some profits.
