In the wake of the PSL inviting media companies to bid for the rights to broadcast local matches from 2024 to 2009, current rights holders, SuperSport International, are expected to win the bidding process for a fourth consecutive time.
The value of the PSL media rights was around R2,2bn when SuperSport, for the third time, secured the rights four years ago. Their deal with the PSL expires at the end of next season, hence the invitation to bid for the deal from 2024 onwards.
Given the dwindling standard of PSL football, low fan-attendance rate and the general state of SA’s economy, some may feel value of the media could have declined.
However, football sponsorship guru Steward Masela believes there’s still value for money in acquiring the broadcast rights.
“The standard of football and poor attendance don’t have an impact on the value of the TV rights. The PSL is in demand. A game between Liverpool and Manchester United won’t be viewed more than a game between Orlando Pirates and AmaZulu in SA,” Masela told Sowetan.
“The interest in TV rights is huge nowadays, hence the value will keep on rising. The broadcasters are not the only ones who are interested in these rights… streaming services and Amazon are also interested, so that’s why the value is massive. These billions they are worth… are justified. Think about the PSL, just for the local market, you’ve got TV football coverage on Saturday and Sunday … you have at least five live games.
“Monday and Thursday are the only days without live PSL games and again there are preview shows and things like that, so there’s football on TV everyday. So you see that they look at it in a sense that what people would have paid on normal advertising versus what you get on football coverage and that’s why the rights are expensive.”
SuperSport senior manager Clinton van der Berg didn’t want to give much away on their bidding process. “SuperSport is aware of the invitation to tender which the PSL has opened in respect of media rights. Our policy is, however, not to comment on pending tenders for media rights,” Van der Berg said.
Having reported a net loss of R201m in its 2021/22 financial earnings, it’s not clear if SABC will bid. The public broadcaster is likely to sub-licence the games from SuperSport.
SABC head of communication Ndileka Cola didn’t reply to the questions sent to her via email, while PSL acting CEO Mato Madlala and Roger Wakefield of the Werksmans Attorneys, the law firm handling the bidding process, could also not be reached for comment.
“If our people who can’t afford the subscription fees on the other channels which own these rights, and the SABC also can’t show certain sporting events like rugby as we are now headed to France to defend our World Cup title, we are going to see more of this tussle for the broadcasting rights.
“We need to have a policy that says all the national sports teams, should also be made available on the SABC or free to air platform. And we are talking about rugby, cricket, and football, our people feel neglected at times,” said Kodwa about some of the priorities in his first 100 days in office.
Kodwa is not a stranger to this discussion, internally in the ruling party African National Congress’ National Policy Conference last year, the reviewing of the Sports Broadcasting rights and ending the so-called monopoly was one of the discussion points. The former ANC spokesperson, when addressing this matter appears to be well versed in the direction it should take.
“If we are to deal with the monopoly of the broadcasting rights, we need a legislation otherwise we will continue to sit here in studio and wish that this would come to an end. We’ve got to fight for the rights of the majority our people, who are poor to have access to sport on national television, especially the sports of national interest, there must be a legislation for that.
“Because if we think that based on a political will of the commercial partners something will change, no these people are driven by profit. They are not going to do that because a Minster went to Ukhozi and said it, or the President addressed it during the State of the Nation Address.
“There must be legislation, so that you don’t have a monopoly by a certain broadcaster and then you have the majority of people who are dependent on SABC, they can’t get access to some of these sporting codes, the only sporting codes they can get to know and understand is football, the rest is meant for other people,” Kodwa emphasized on this point.
Kodwa is also aware of and monitoring the SABC’s comprehensive complaint to the Competition Commission (CC) against SuperSport and some other sporting organizations in the country, alleging some anticompetitive and exclusionary methods that are being applied. The matter is yet to be ruled on by the CC’s Commissioners.
