by Thinus Ferreira
From September SuperSport is reorganising its curated sports channels set-up on MultiChoice's DStv pay-TV service - as well as how it funnels acquired live sports and other sports programming through those linear channels - in the biggest reorganising of the SuperSport channels set in 2 decades.
The SuperSport announcement comes after the return of the two ESPN channels from Disney to DStv after a 7-year absence, and M-Net that is also reducing and reorganising its set of M-Net Movies channels on DStv from September.
From September SuperSport is dropping the numbering system on DStv that it has used for its channels for more than 2 decades and replacing it with a "thematic" offering based around individual sports.
For instance, the new channel called SuperSport Motorsport will now carry only motorsport content whereas, in the past, motorsport would have been found on multiple different SuperSport channels.
SuperSport says the reorganising will make the content discovery process and channel navigation easier for DStv subscribers looking to find specific sport genres.
According to SuperSport the new strategy will more closely align channel names in South Africa and across the rest of the African continent, and will indicate a clear destination for fans' favourite sports. There will be multiple themed channels, including a "Variety" channel offering.
The SuperSport sport channel reorganisation will be slightly different for DStv subscribers in South Africa, and for the rest of sub-Saharan Africa.
SuperSport says lower-tiered DStv subscribers will not see less sport and that none of the DStv packages will be worse off. Instead the viewing experience is improved by giving subscribers "a clear understanding of what content you will receive on the channel".
SuperSport will relaunch SuperSport 201 as the SuperSport Grandstand channel on that channel number with the SuperSport Blitz channel that will remain as the two channels comprising the front of the new channel set line-up.
SuperSport's new flagship channel will carry the best of any live-curated sport available to DStv Premium subscribers at any one time, including soccer, rugby, cricket, golf and tennis. SuperSport Grandstand will be hosted in-studio on weekends and will be positioned immediately after Blitz at the front of the new line-up.
SuperSport viewers on DStv will get specially dedicated channels for various leagues and sports - among them the Premier Soccer League (PSL), the Premier League, La Liga, rugby, cricket, golf, tennis, motorsport and several others.
Rugby and cricket have been moved to SuperSport channels 211 and 212. SuperSport says this was done to align the channels across the entire African continent and ensure consistency across all markets.
"There is no less focus whatsoever on these channels. It does also allow for all the Premium channels to be grouped together between 211 and 215. Please remember that the best of any rugby and cricket will also be found on SuperSport Grandstand on channel 201."
Supplementary programming like magazine shows and highlights will still be available across all of the channels.
"This is a landmark decision in SuperSport's history and one we’re convinced will add a fresh and invigorating dimension to our broadcasts," says Gideon Khobane, SuperSport CEO, in a statement.
"The changes will mean that additional SuperSport channels of local and international sporting content will be added to the DStv package."
"Genre channelling will no doubt increase awareness of a broader range of content, which may have always been on the platform, but wasn’t necessarily easy to discover. This signals a radical change designed to make content discovery more seamless."
SuperSport says that market research has indicated that viewers would prefer to enjoy the sport of their choice on a dedicated, named channel.
