by Thinus Ferreira
In a challenge to the sports content dominance of MultiChoice and SuperSport, the South African public broadcaster and China's StarTimes have sublicensed respectively the free-to-air (FTA) and pay-TV rights to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
For the first time since 1992, SuperSport won't show the 2023 Afcon tournament, increasing the number of cracks forming in terms of content that the pay-TV sports brand no longer has - especially African sports content although it's a pan-African pay-TV broadcaster.
Not having the 2023 Afcon tournament is part of an ongoing and growing trend of MultiChoice and SuperSport showing less and less African football to DStv subscribers.
The bulk of the 2023 Afcon tournament will still be seen on MultiChoice's DStv indirectly however, with DStv subscribers who would be able to tune to SABC1 and SABC3 channels (but not the SABC Sport channel) which are carried on DStv's platform.
In effect, South African viewers will be able to watch the 2023 Afcon tournament kicking off on 13 January in Ivory Coast, free-to-air on SABC1, SABC3 and SABC Sport; as well as on SABC1 and SABC3 on DStv, on SABC1 and SABC3 on StarTimes SA's StarSat, as well as on SABC1, SABC3 and SABC Sport carried on eMedia's Openview, as well as on streaming on SABC1, SABC3 and SABC Sport on SABC+.
A big question is whether the SABC would block MultiChoice from showing 2023 Afcon content in a tit-for-tat retaliation after MultiChoice and SuperSport blocked the SABC from showing 2023 Rugby World Cup content on SABC2 on eMedia's Openview free-to-air satellite TV service.
Last year MultiChoice and SuperSport forced the SABC to show other content on the channel version of SABC2 carried on Openview, while the terrestrial version of SABC2, and the SABC2 on DStv, both carried live 2023 Rugby World Cup matches.
TVwithThinus asked the SABC specifically about this possibility.
Mmoni Seapolelo, SABC spokesperson told me "The SABC can confirm that the matches will be broadcast on SABC platforms on MultiChoice. The SABC believes that sport of national interest should not be restricted to any South African, so the 2023 Afcon will therefore be available on all platforms that distribute SABC channels, including Openview and DStv".
Similar to how it usually sublicenses rights from SuperSport, the SABC this time sublicensed the rights to the 2023 Afcon from the Togolese upstart company, New World Media, which runs New World TV.
China's StarTimes - running the StarSat brand in South Africa and Southern Africa - also licensed the pay-TV rights from New World Media.
Both the SABC and StarTimes/StarSat will show the full 52 matches of the 2023 Afcon and all live, between 13 January and 11 February.
The SABC has also acquired the live matches to the rest of the CAF events, which includes all 150 matches of the 2025 Afcon qualifiers, all 32 matches of CAF CHAN 2024, all matches of CAF Champions League 2023/2024, all matches of CAF Confederations Cup 2023/2024, all the matches of CAF Africa Women Cup of Nations 2024, all matches of CAF Women's Champions League 2024, and all the matches of CAF Super Cup 2024.
Besides SABC1, SABC3 and SABC Sport, the SABC will also do live streaming of the 2023 Afcon matches on sabcsport.com and its video streaming service SABC+, where it will also be offering a catch-up service.
Ian Plaatjes, SABC COO, in a statement, says "The SABC team is happy to have made all these great sport activities available to the South African public and would like to express its gratitude to the rights holders, New World Media, and all the relevant stakeholders who worked tirelessly to ensure the fruition of this process."
In a statement, China's StarTimes announced that it had secured the pay-TV rights for the 2023 Afcon for sub-Saharan Africa, with StarTimes trading as StarTimes in the rest of Africa, and trading as StarSat in South Africa, which will show the tournament from 13 January.
"This strategic acquisition cements StarTimes' commitment to delivering premium sports content to its viewers and reinforces its position as a leading player in the African media landscape," Joshua Wang, StarTimes Nigeria CEO, said.
"StarTimes' investment in the rights for 2023 Afcon and CAF Events reflects the company's dedication to supporting and promoting African sports. By securing these rights StarTimes aims to bring the thrill and excitement of Afcon to an even broader audience, fostering a sense of unity and pride across the continent."
"This represents a significant milestone for us as we continue to bring the best in sports entertainment to our viewers. Afcon is a celebration of African talent and passion, and we are proud to play a key role in delivering this experience to homes across the continent."
StarSat in South Africa also confirmed that "StarSat has secured the exclusive rights to 2023 Afcon".
Meanwhile, MultiChoice and SuperSport continue the regression of showing less and less African football - either unable to secure it or unwilling to pay the price of the licensing fees.
So far this season besides the 2023 Afcon, SuperSport have been dismal in failing to show the African leg of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the CAF awards, the African Football League (AFL), or the CAF Confederation Cup.
SuperSport also failed to show both the CAF Champions League for men and women but does show low-rated European football that far fewer DStv subscribers across Africa are interested in as it evidently prioritises giving money to European football over investing and supporting African football at large.
