You won't, sadly, find the full, comprehensive story in any newspaper or in any single story about the Premier Soccer League (PSL) broadcasting rights up for grabs for the first time since 2007, so let me give it.
It's not just the SABC, and not just SuperSport on DStv but also On Digital Media's TopTV who received bid documentation for the PSL rights. So it's not just a two player game. In fact, it would have been 4 because of e.tv, but as broke the news HERE, e.tv isn't interested in becoming embroiled in what the broadcaster calls ''a bidding war''.
TopTV is definitely considering a PSL bid as well, although you wouldn't see that being written anywhere. Thus there is now 3 players in the mix since the SABC lost the PSL rights to SuperSport three years ago for R1,6 billion in 2007.
''TopTV is in the process of considering the tender that has been issued by the PSL,'' TopTV tells me.
The R4 billion to R6 billion amount whispered that the PSL wants for the new contract for the successful bidder is mere posturing (and frankly preposterous) in my opinion. The SABC and the two pay TV platforms have until 22 August to decide if they want to submit a bid for the rights. The successful bidder will have to fork out more than R1,6 million but I would warrant a guess that it won't go anywhere near the R4 billion to R6 billion. The PSL after all aint Oprah.
With digital terrestrial television (DTT) coming to South Africa, the SABC will start its own free, 24 hour sports channel, SABC Sport, in 2012 available to everyone, so the PSL would be a nice proposition and a platform where it would be able to get value for the rights. It would have space to do justice to the PSL.
Another possibility is that TopTV could also work together with the SABC just to get the rights away from SuperSport. TopTV promised some kind of additional new sports channel and sports coverage by the end of the year.
Of course SuperSport is not going to sit back. Its latest and last annual financial report clearly states that DStv Compact is its fastest growing bouquet and that that is helped along by sports rights and especially soccer (although the escalating price of sports broadcast licensing costs are singled out as something with a growing impact).
ALSO READ: e.tv not bidding for Premier Soccer League (PSL) rights; broadcaster not willing to be a part of a ''bidding war''.
