After the South African government and its sports minister Nathi Mthethwa forced a deal between the two, a vague and non-specific 5-year agreement between MultiChoice's SuperSport and the struggling South African public broadcaster was announced on Friday for the SABC to sub-license free-to air TV and radio broadcasting rights for some matches from the Premier Soccer League's (PSL) Absa Premiership.
It temporarily ended a growing crisis, although the overall issue remains, of the embattled and out-of-cash South African public broadcaster being unable and unwilling to pay the multi-million rand rights fees for content from the PSL's Absa Premiership on the public airwaves.
Not Nathi Mthehtwa who held a shockingly bad press conference on Friday afternoon devoid of information or answers, nor MultiChoice, SuperSport, the PSL or the SABC gave any financial details of the new 5-year deal - despite being asked - and despite providing prior financial details that led to a possible deal collapse and that were shared earlier by several of the parties.
The SABC demanded a 96% discount in the licensing rights price from SuperSport for Absa Premiership matches from which the SABC sub-license the broadcasting rights.
The SABC said that it can't afford the licensing rights sticker price and SABC top brass went as far as ordering presenters at the public broadcaster to withhold information from South African citizens and to not even mention Absa Premiership match scores on air or to discuss or do any commentary about the PSL.
The SABC claimed that a broadcasting licensing deal with SuperSport was not financially viable for the broadcaster and something it couldn't afford and that the SABC would make revenue of just R47 million a year if they accepted the deal and lose money.
The SABC in a statement on 3 August 2019 said that it "was expected to pay SuperSport R280 million for 144 matches per year for a period of five years, and during that period, the SABC would have made revenue of only R9.8 million per year."
After breaking his promise of announcing a a deal and the specifics of it on Thursday, Nathi Mthethwa on Friday in a statement (after Thursday night saying that the various stakeholders are "still findign each other in the impasse") announced that a 5-year deal was reached.
The South African government through its sports minister said:
"I would like to thank all the participants, MultiChoice, the PSL and the SABC for their positive approach which ensures that ordinary South Africans are able to access football in our country," said Nathi Mthethwa.
"We recognise the importance of sport and in this instance football in promoting national cohesion and commend all stakeholders involved."
The Premier Soccer League said:
The PSL in a statement attributed to Dr Irvin Khoza, PSL chairperson, on Friday said "We welcome the sports minister's intervention and his willingness to facilitate a commercial agreement with the SABC".
"We are committed to bringing as much access to South African football as is possible to the football-loving public, in a manner that ensures the sustainability of the PSL as one of the top 10 football leagues in the world".
MultiChoice said:
MultiChoice in a statement attributed to Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice Group CEO, said "We remain committed to long-term investment in sports in South Africa and the rest of Africa. In the previous financial year, the MultiChoice Group invested over R2.3 billion in sports on the continent".
"An important element of the investment is in sports broadcasting and sponsorship rights, which provide critical revenue streams for sports bodies that filter down to every tier and has an undeniable impact on the development of the sport."
SuperSport had no individual statement.
The SABC said:
The SABC in a statement attributed to Madoda Mxakwe, SABC CEO, said that "In line with our public mandate we are pleased to have reached an agreement, in the interest of the South African public".
"Most importantly, this commercially viable deal is aligned to the goal of having a financially sustainable public broadcaster."
"The SABC will continue to discharge its public mandate in a manner which is not only sustainable for the organisation but ensures that the South African public have access to sports of national interest such as the PSL."
On Friday afternoon SABC1 issued a programming notification and scheduling update saying that the schedule for Saturday, 24 August, is changing.
SABC1 said that the ABsa Premiership match of Black Leopards vs Highlands Park will now be shown with the build-up programming starting at 14:30 until 15:00,followed at 15:00 to 17:00 by the Black Leopards vs Highlands Park match broadcast live.
The South African parliament's portfolio committee on sports said:
On Friday the portfolio committee on sports, arts and culture in South Africa's parliament in a statement said it "welcomes the agreement regarding the broadcast of Provincial Soccer League (PSL) games on the SABC television and radio".
The committee didn't know that it's called the Premier Soccer League.
Beauty Dlulane, committee chairperson, said that "All sides need to honour their contractual agreement, as agreed to with the minister, so that the poorest of the poor people of South Africa are able to view future matches without being plunged into darkness, as happened in the past two weeks".
Nathi Mthethwa's useless press conference
On Friday following his press statement, Nathi Mthethwa held a terrible and extremely amateur-looking press conference where he refused to give specific and detail information in answers when specifically asked about the nature of the deal between MultiChoice and the SABC over PSL broadcasting rights.
Nathi Mthethwa appeared either completely clueless or unwilling during his press conference carried live on SABC News (DStv 404) to talk on an informed basis about the MultiChoice-SABC deal for PSL rights.
Nathi Mthethwa was asked for basics of the deal, how many matches the deal will include, whether the SABC came up from its previously announced price it was willing to pay, or whether MultiChoice and SuperSport came down from the previously announced price.
Nathi Mthethwa said "I'm not going to get into the details of it, but I can tell you that R72 million has been offered by the SABC and everything is being worked according to that".
"We agreed as all the parties that the people should not suffer. Those who cannot afford pay TV should not suffer, that’s the principle we agreed on."
Nathi Mthethwa said "There are relationship matters which still need to be engaged on even though some of them I may not be at liberty to divulge before we sit down on that. I can confirm that money played a very key part of it."
What are the financial terms?
While the SABC at the beginning of August specifically said what it was willing to pay and set out the financial terms of what would and wouldn't work, it is unwilling as the South African public broadcaster to now say what financial arrangement it entered into.
TVwithThinus asked the SABC on Friday what is the amount of money that the SABC is paying for this agreement, since the SABC previously said that the amount required was too much and can't afford it.
Vuyo Mthembu, SABC spokesperson said "the SABC would like to reiterate that it has reached a commercially viable deal that is in best interest of the organization’s financial health as well as the interest of the public. We are however not at liberty to publicly discuss the details of the agreement."
MultiChoice was also asked what the financials of the agreement is. MultiChoice's PR company Aprio which issued the MultiChoice statement, said it has sent the media enquiry to the relevant people.
By late Friday night neither Aprio nor MultiChoice have responded with any answers to the media enquiry.
The SABC's PSL scheduling on TV and radio
The SABC was asked for its initial PSL broadcast schedule. The SABC responded and said:
The SABC will begin broadcasting PSL matches with the Black Leopards vs Highlands Park match live on SABC1 at 15:00 on Saturday, 24 August 2019.
SABC radio stations Thobela FM, Phalaphala FM, Umhlobo Wenene FM, Lesedi FM and Radio 2000, will also broadcast the Leopards vs Highlands Park match, with trufm broadcasting the Golden Arrows vs Chippa United match on Saturday.
In addition 10 radio stations Phalaphala FM, MLFM, Motsweding FM, Ligwalagwala FM, Ikwekwezi FM, Ukhozi FM Lesedi FM, Radio 2000, X-K FM and trufm will broadcast the Kaizer Chiefs vs SuperSport match on Saturday, 24 August 2019.
Sunday 25 August Thobela FM, ,MLFM, Motsweding FM, Ligwalagwala FM, Ikwekwezi FM, Umhlobo Wenene FM, Lesedi FM, Radio 2000 and Phalaphala FM will be covering the Baroka vs Bloemfontein Celtic clash.
