by Thinus Ferreira
Although a cash-strapped MultiChoice dropped and backed out of its sponsorship of the PSL's DStv Premiership a year and a month before its agreed contract was supposed to end, MultiChoice and SuperSport will continue to broadcast all 204 matches of what is now known as the Betway Premiership.
SuperSport confirms that it will show all 240 Betway Premiership matches live.
MultiChoice, that is technically insolvent with Vivendi's Canal+busy with an aggressive takeover of the African pay-TV operator, abruptly scrapped its agreement with the Premier Soccer League (PSL) to sponsor its DStv Premiership a year and a month before the multimillion-rand deal of 5 years was supposed to end.
MultiChoice and the PSL signed a deal in September 2020 and has been unwilling to say why it backed out of its signed 5-year contract
MultiChoice that backed out of its contract left the desperate PSL scrambling to find a new sponsor and forced it to sign a new contract with the Betway gambling company - something it previously said wasn't allowed and that the PSL wouldn't do.
"SuperSport is proud to announce that all 240 Betway Premiership matches will be live," it says in a statement.
"SuperSport will continue bringing viewers top-notch pre-game, half-time and post-match analysis from our expert pundits and legends, with the usual touch of midweek magazine programming."
Rendani Ramovha, SuperSport CEO, says "As a broadcaster, this is an amazing story to tell. The Premier Soccer League has once more proven itself to be one of the world’s most commercially attractive and enticing football leagues by partnering with Betway.
"We pride ourselves as the biggest funder of sports on the continent and together with the PSL, Betway, and the other PSL sponsors, we will continue creating the platforms for great football conversations," SuperSport says.
The start date for local football is 3 August with the MTN8. The Betway Premiership schedule is set for 14 September. The new football season also includes the Carling Knockout and the Nedbank Cup.
SuperSport says that the DStv Diski Challenge, Motsepe Foundation Championship and the DStv eKasi Games will continue being part of SuperSport's local football offering.
The English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A and the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa and Conference League will all be carried live on SuperSport.
