BMA understands that South Africa’s Competition Commission is investigating the broadcast rights relationship between MultiChoice’s SuperSport and the Premier Soccer League (PSL).
The commission confirmed the investigation, which it said comes in response to a complaint from the public broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).
Earlier this week, PSL advertised tenders for its broadcast rights for a five-year period from 2024 to 2029.
Competition Commission head of communications Siyabulela Makunga confirmed the investigation, noting that the SABC complaint is regarding SuperSport having an almost monopoly on the rights of PSL matches and then apportioning some of those games to the public broadcaster.
“I can confirm that the commission has received a complaint from the SABC against SuperSport. The matter is being investigated,” Makunga said.
While the SABC has complained about unfairness, the public broadcaster was one of the tender applicants for the last rights package offered by the PSL in 2018, but evidently, the public broadcaster could not come close to matching SuperSport’s offer.
MultiChoice Group, owners of SuperSport, also sponsors the PSL’s headline DStv Premiership league and the Under-23 reserve league, the DStv Diski Challenge.
SuperSport senior communications manager, Clinton van der Berg, said the pay channel is aware of the investigation.
Van der Berg said, “SuperSport is aware of a complaint lodged by the SABC with the Competition Commission against it and various other entities. SuperSport is cooperating fully with the commission and will continue to do so.”
