SABC Secures Exclusive Afcon TV Rights Amidst PSL Recess

Friday marked a watershed moment for sports broadcasting in South Africa, as the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has officially secured the TV rights for all Confederation of African Football (CAF) competitions this year, including the highly anticipated African Cup of Nations (Afcon), slated to commence on January 13th in Côte d'Ivoire.

Following an extensive negotiation process, the SABC has announced this historic acquisition, ensuring that all 52 games of Afcon, featuring the national team Bafana Bafana, will be accessible to the South African public. This new deal signals not only a triumph for the SABC over its longstanding rival, MultiChoice Group's pay-TV channel SuperSport, but also a coup for the accessibility of continental football to South Africans.

During the period when the Premier Soccer League (PSL) will be observing a month-long recess due to Afcon, the SABC has vowed to deliver a "live experience" to the audience, who would otherwise have limited access to the continental tournament. This move is seen by many as an assertion of the public broadcaster's commitment to inclusivity, eliminating "uncompetitive platform blockage" that it claims has been a sharp practice by SuperSport, leading to previous sub-licensing conflicts and a complaint lodged with the Competition Commission.

As detailed in their statement and operations plan, the SABC is setting up a comprehensive broadcasting framework to cover the Afcon tournament. Comprehensive coverage will span across television with SABC 1, SABC 2, SABC 3, and the SABC Sports Channel, while an extensive lineup of radio stations, including Radio 2000, RSG, Umhlobo Wenene FM, Ukhozi FM, and several others, will offer live broadcasts with language options tailored to their audiences.

Beyond the traditional broadcasting venues, audiences are also catered for online with free live streaming of all Afcon games available on SABC Plus and the sabcsport.com website. Additionally, for those unable to watch the matches live, a catch-up service is provided to ensure fans can remain connected to the action.

In a digital age where accessibility can make or break the viewer experience, this multi-platform approach speaks to SABC’s commitment to delivering football to the nation’s doorstep. With expert analysis slated for studio build-ups and wrap-ups, the SABC is gearing up to create an immersive viewing experience for football aficionados across the nation.

Further asserting SABC's readiness to heighten the experience of African football on South African soil, SABC’s chief operating officer, Ian Plaatjes, has remarked on the strategic importance of this acquisition and the excitement accompanying the broadcaster's preparations for Afcon.

In conclusion, as the anticipation for Afcon 2023 builds, the successful securing of these rights by SABC is remarkable for its promise of delivering accessible, comprehensive, and live footballing content to millions of South Africans, marking a significant stride in the democratization of sports broadcast in the country.