The SABC that never wants to say how much it's paid per game in broadcasting rights to Sports Five, is suddenly quite prepared to say that Sports Five wants R5 million for the rights of the Bafana Bafana versus Niger game.
''The R5 million is downright unreasonable and unsustainable'' says the SABC in a late-released press statement, which indicates that the South African public broadcaster - now deadlocked in negotiations - is going to try to build public pressure to get Sports Five to lower the rights fee.
The SABC says the broadcaster is ''deadlocked'' with Sports Five for the broadcasting rights, knowing that a public outcry with follow if the SABC fails to secure the rights to broadcast a soccer game in which South Africa's national soccer team plays. ''The deadlock was due to the prohibitively expensive broadcast rights fee demanded by the rights holder, Sports Five, who are based in France,'' says the SABC, revealing that ''Sports Five is demanding R5 million for the match''.
''The SABC maintains that the rights fees is unreasonably high, unsustainable and way above the universal market rate,'' says the broadcaster. ''The corporation made what it believes to be a reasonable offer, and one that was even above the market rate, but the rights holder was unwilling to accept the offer made by the SABC''.
The SABC says that ''the going rate for matches involving top ten African matches is around R1,4 million maximum'' and that ''the SABC was even willing to make a better offer on the going rate, despite the fact that Niger was not a top ten team in Africa''.
Now a waiting game will follow, as public pressure will definitely come from fans, the public, the sports and soccer fraternity and - as the SABC may well be hoping - the South African government and some form of intervention.
