'Ooh, so much reverence, ooh so much respect': Canal+ and PSL's Irvin Khoza glaze each other after a meeting on how important South African football remains for DStv

by Thinus Ferreira

Although Canal+ Africa is busy with aggressive cost-cutting that also affects content it will continue to pay a lot of money to secure sports content and specifically football from South Africa's Premier Soccer League (PSL).

Canal+ says Canal+ executives have met with the PSL "for talks". Dr Irvin Khoza, PSL chairman is also commenting about the "productive talks".

MultiChoice's involvement with the PSL stretches back to 2007, when SuperSport took over the contract from the SABC, which could no longer afford it.

In a new supplied statement, Dr Irvin Khoza spouts nothing but prepared corporate-speak jibberish - the type of banal statements that make workers fall asleep in powerpoint presentations.

"This cascading effect sustains an ongoing national conversation that reaches across communities and generations, permeating age, gender, affiliations and geography. Over time, the PSL has evolved beyond a schedule of fixtures into a cultural infrastructure — a shared national platform through which stories are told, identities are expressed and moments are collectively experienced. Our responsibility is to curate and present this platform with consistency, credibility and care,” Dr Irvin Khoza says.

Who talks like this and why do Canal+ and SuperSport and the PSL think this "says-nothing" is something?

It continues.

Dr Irvin Khoza says "Canal+ holds a premiership in the delivery of content, and it is through this capability that the PSL is able to reach the nation at scale. Together, the PSL as curator and Canal+ as the premier delivery platform, enable a national cultural infrastructure that is both widely accessible and deeply engaging".

"The supporters are very knowledgeable about the game and the league. They follow its every move. It is their reading of form, consequence and inter-dependence between matches that creates the cascading effect across the league, as each result is interpreted in relation to the next."

This is the type of stuff you get when you're either beyond full of yourself and is surrounded by yes-people who don't tell you to life in the real world, or asked ChatGPT to string some type of presumptuous sentences together that in reality, is laughable.

Rendani Ramovha, Canal+ director for sports content in English and Portuguese-speaking Africa, also gets a quotable - which is less pretentious than Irvin Khoza but grovelling in its glazing and pandering.

"The PSL is a key partner to the group, and it is important to ensure that we maintain a good relationship with our key stakeholders. This meeting was a major step in solidifying our relationship with the PSL for the long term,” Ramovha is quoted as.

"We have been clear since the onset of the coming together of the Canal+ group and the MultiChoice group that our investment in local content is a top priority. And local football is right at the top of our most sought-after content from a customer and viewer perspective on DStv and SuperSport."

"We hold the PSL in high regard, as it is more than just a football league – it means so much to millions of people across the continent, who invest their time, money and emotions into what happens on and off the pitch."

"The meeting was to demonstrate the respect and reverence that is held towards one of the biggest leagues, not just in Africa, but in the world. We also look at the PSL as the perfect platform to innovate our broadcast offering, ever looking to improve our product and to give viewers and customers more value.”

 

Dr Irvin Khoza "concluded" that apparently "some smaller crowd sizes did not truly reflect the topical nature of PSL football in everyday conversation among millions of football followers in South Africa".

"Every PSL match carries value, irrespective of the number of spectators in the stadium. Each match's true significance lies in its consequence within the league. Every supporter in attendance is matched by millions engaging from homes, workplaces, transit and social spaces across the country."

To quote Miranda Priestly: "Groundbreaking."

MultiChoice's SuperSport and the South African public broadcaster reach an undisclosed 5-year deal for matches of the Premier Soccer League's Absa Premiership to be broadcast on the SABC.

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.

Sports minister Nathi Mthethwa, MultiChoice, SuperSport, the SABC and the PSL on Thursday still 'finding each other in the impasse' over Absa Premiership public broadcasting rights crisis as promised Thursday announcement is pushed to Friday.

South Africa's sports minister Nathi Mthethwa failed to properly manage his self-announced, self-set and self-created public expectations and together with pay-TV operator MultiChoice, SuperSport, the SABC and the Premier Soccer League (PSL) failed to announce on Thursday a breakthrough in a sub-licensing rights Absa Premiership deal for the public broadcaster.

Late Thursday night sports minister Nathi Mthethwa who appears incompetent, released a vague statement making a new promise after just having broken one, saying that a "full statement" would be released before the end of the day on Friday 23 August.

Earlier this week Nathi Mthethwa - who belatedly started to intervene in the ongoing crisis at the SABC not showking any of the new Absa Premiership season's soccer matches on the broke South African public broadcaster after its failure and refusal to sign any sub-licensing rights broadcast agreement - announced that an announcement about a breakthrough would be made on Thursday.

Thursday however came and went without anything from South Africa's minister of sports who oversold a possible agreement between MultiChoice, SuperSport, the SABC and the PSL that by Thursday night didn't exist.

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 South African government responded reactively and belatedly as in previous cases said it would do meetings with the SABC, the PSL and MultiChoice.

The ongoing, massive problem with sports rights remains unsolved by the South African government and the departments of sports and communications, who constantly - after a blackout crisis at the SABC - respond with a meeting, followed by some short-term plaster TV package on the gaping wound, and then nothing to solve the long-term systemic problems and bleeding.

After a first meeting with the SABC and the PSL, Nathi Mthethwa on Wednesday in a statement said that he met on Tuesday with Dr Irvin Koza, PSL chairperson; as well as Imtiaz Patel, the MultiChoice Group's chairperson, and Calvo Mawela on Tuesday.

In a statement late on Thursday night, Nathi Mthethwa said that on Thursday evening he and Stella Ndabeni Abrahams, South Africa's communications minister, had met with Dr Irvin Khoza; Bongumusa Makhathini, SABC board chairperson; Madoda Mxakwe, SABC CEO; Craig van Rooyen, SABC COO who is on his way out; as well as MultiChoice's Imtiaz Patel and Calvo Mawela "to further push for a solution".

Nathi Mthethwa said on Thursday night that " all parties are finding each other in the impasse which resulted in the non-broadcast of PSL matches on the SABC" and that there's been "a breakthrough" without wanting to say what it was.

He said that "a full statement which will entail details of the agreement" will be "communicated before close of business on Friday".

Why Nathi Mthethwa publicly promised an announcement on Thursday and then didn't deliver isn't clear.

South Africa's sports minister says MultiChoice and the Premier Soccer League will on Thursday announce some solution to have Absa Premiership matches broadcast on the embattled SABC that can't pay for it.

South Africa's minister of sports, Nathi Mthethwa announced that his department, the pay-TV operator MultiChoice and the Premier Soccer League (PSL) will announce on Thursday, 22 August 2019, a solution to have Absa Premiership matches broadcast on the embattled South African public broadcaster that can't pay for it.

The PSL slammed the SABC for its failure to pick up and pay for certain free-to-air rights to some matches of the new Absa Premiership season that kicked off at the beginning of this month, with the SABC that demanded a 96% discount in the licensing rights price from SuperSport 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 South African government responded reactively and belatedly as in previous cases said it would do meetings with the SABC, the PSL and MultiChoice.

The ongoing, massive problem with sports rights remains unsolved by the South African government and the departments of sports and communications, who constantly - after a blackout crisis at the SABC - respond with a meeting, followed by some short-term plaster TV package on the gaping wound, and then nothing to solve the long-term systemic problems and bleeding.

After a first meeting with the SABC and the PSL, Nathi Mthethwa on Wednesday in a statement said that he met on Tuesday with Dr Irvin Koza, PSL chairperson; as well as Imtiaz Patel, the MultiChoice Group's chairperson, and Calvo Mawela on Tuesday.

"After this interaction, we are confident that a resolution to this impasse is imminent as of Thursday," Nathi Mthethwa announced.

"Both the PSL the PSL and MultiChoice honoured the appointment and that is an indication of their appreciating the gravity of this matter. I am happy that both parties understand that despite the contrasting interests they represent, which are valid on individual accounts, what can no longer be treated lightly is the heavy toll this impasse has taken on South Africans."

"That both Dr Irvin Khoza, as well as Imtiaz Patel and Calvo Mawela met with me is testament that they understand that a solution must be found."

Premier Soccer League slams SABC over deliberate soccer 'blackout'; reveals millions of viewers won't see any Absa Premiership matches on the public broadcaster that wanted a 96% discount from SuperSport for rights.

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) on Saturday afternoon slammed the beleaguered South African public broadcaster which it blamed for a deliberate broadcast "blackout" of matches that it said the SABC planned, when the PSL revealed that the broadcaster won't be showing any Absa Premiership PSL soccer matches on the public broadcaster.

The SABC has remained silent this past week when asked multiple times whether and what Absa Premiership matches it would broadcast, with millions of South African viewers left without broadcast access.

In a statement on Saturday afternoon on its website the PSL revealed that it discovered that the SABC won't be showing any of the opening round matches of the Absa Premiership this weekend starting on Saturday.

The PSL season starts on Saturday afternoon with Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United playing a match in the Tshwane Derby at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville at 15:00. On Tuesday Bidvest Wits plays against Baroka FC in Johannesburg, and Highlands Park will play against Maritzburg United in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday.

The PSL says it only discovered the broadcast "blackout" when it was brought to its attention on Friday by SuperSport as the broadcast rights holder.

"South African followers will not find the PSL football matches on the free-to-air television and radio channels of the SABC," the PSL revealed in its statement.

"This was brought to the PSL's attention yesterday, 2 August 2019 by SuperSport, the broadcast rights holder. Up until the beginning of this week we were made to believe the final bits were being ironed out towards yet another exciting season that the majority consume on free-to-air television provided by the SABC."

"In hindsight, we should have made more of the question by a SABC journalist after the board of governors meeting 2 days ago, on Thursday 1 August 2019, when he revealed that there was no scheduling of weekend matches to be broadcast by the SABC."

"Knowing what we know now, it is evident that the SABC had already prepared for a 'blackout'. According to SuperSport, the SABC proposal is tantamount to discounting the PSL rights by 96%. This would be unacceptable," the PSL said.

"Upon receiving a letter from SuperSport about the situation, Dr Irvin Khoza, PSL chairperson, immediately wrote an urgent letter to the minister of communication and minister of sports, arts and culture. In the letters he stated to the ministers that the challenges being faced have legal, public and political implications."

"In addressing this matter, it is maybe time that the nation accept that the SABC is incapable of meeting its requirements since a 'blackout' to the majority of people who consume their football through free-to-air television and radio is unacceptable going forward," the PSL says in its statement.

Earlier in 2019 the SABC failed to show the Banyana Banyana soccer matches at this year's Women's Soccer World Cup and the SABC also failed to broadcast the 2019 Two Oceans Marathon.

The SABC failed to broadcast Bafana Bafana's Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers‚ and there is no deal in place between SABC and the South African Football Association (Safa) before Bafana Bafana embarks on qualifiers for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2022 Qatar World Cup in the coming months.

In a terse statement from the SABC issued on Saturday afternoon at 14:10 by SABC spokesperson Vuyo Mthembu after the PSL's shocking revelation, the SABC admitted that "no agreement was reached between the SABC and SuperSport on the broadcast of PSL matches". 

"The SABC regrets to announce that no sublicense agreement was reached with SuperSport in respect to the broadcast of matches of the new PSL season. The SABC 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."

"This would not have been a commercially viable agreement for the SABC. Over the last five years the public broadcaster has incurred a loss of R1.3 billion in relation to the broadcast of PSL matches and a decision has been taken that any agreement entered into, should be financially sound and sustainable for the business, ensuring that there is return on investment for the organisation," the SABC said.

In the statement, Dr Craig van Rooyen, the SABC’s acting chief operations officer (COO) said that "the SABC would like to apologise to all South Africans. However, for the financial sustainability of the SABC, we will not continue with deals that are not commercially viable".

The SABC continues to be blamed for constantly trying to negotiate and secure sports contracts last-minute instead of further in advance.

When the broadcaster secures sports rights at short notice although tournaments and sports events are planned far in advance, the SABC doesn't have time to market and publicise it, doesn't have time to place and show it on TV schedules, and the SABC's airtime and ad sales division is unable to sell commercials and sponsorships which leads to the SABC not being able to monetise sports content.

The Premier Soccer League and MultiChoice expand the format of their MultiChoice Diski Challenge by doubling up its reserve league soccer programme.

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) and MultiChoice is changing the format of its MultiChoice Diski Challenge that it started in August 2014, doubling the number of matches per season and turning it into a full league programme from 9 August that will run until June every year.

In the new format starting with the 6th season of 2019/2020 and broadcast on SuperSport on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV service, the MultiChoice Diski Challenge is changed into a Top 8 knockout competition, with the number of matches played that will double from 120 to 240, bumping up the festival weekends from 12 to 18.

The 16 teams competing in the Reserve League will now get to play each other twice in a season and the teams finishing in the top 8 positions moving on to compete for the Diski Shield cup competition at the start of every new season.

MultiChoice Diski Challenge soccer matches that will be broadcast live on SuperSport will almost double from 40 to 70, with the feed that will continue to be shared with several community TV stations across South Africa that are carried on DStv, and who get to simulcast the live broadcasts.

It will also mean more opportunities for upskilling and to get experience for people included in the broadcast internship programme that forms part of the MultiChoice Diski Challenge.

Matches to be broadcast live go up from 40 to over 70, intensifying the broadcast internship programme as more matches played widens the scope of the programme and will also help build content capacity for the community TV’s with whom the live feed is shared with.

"Nothing beats a competitive environment and development requires visibility," says Dr Irvin Khoza, PSL chairperson who spoke at a PSL press conference that was held on Thursday morning at the PSL head office in Parktown, Johannesburg, announcing the MultiChoice Diski Challenge format changes and expansion.

"The MultiChoice Diski Challenge has that visibility. It makes it attractive to the youth who are almost lost to football. We believe if you want to remain relevant, you must always bring fresh faces. MultiChoice has brought light to our football."

"The new format of the MultiChoice Diski Challenge will create a legacy that will benefit this country for many years to come not only the PSL clubs but also the junior national teams. This platform increases competitiveness and keeps our players active and sharp throughout the season."

Calvo Mawela, MultiChoice Group CEO says "When we launched the Diski partnership with the PSL 5 years ago, we could never have foreseen the incredible contribution it would make to local football".

"The MultiChoice Diski Challenge has become the cornerstone of South African football development and has seen over 150 players make the leap to professional football locally with others moving to European leagues."

"There are about 30 players called up for the 2019 Cosafa Cup, the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and the Under 20 World Cup currently taking place in Poland. It's these incredible milestones achieved in a relatively short period that have resulted in implementing an expansion to the tournament."

When we launched the Diski partnership with the PSL five years ago, we would never have foreseen the incredible contribution it would make to local football,” enthused Calvo Mawelo, CEO for MultiChoice Group.

The Diski Champions Tour, the Reserve League winner's prize, will now move from March to between late-April and early-May.