LIV Golf Joins Forces With SuperSport And Canal+ Group To Transform Golf Broadcasting Across Sub-Saharan Africa

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LIV Golf, the global golf league blending world-class competition with entertainment and culture to grow the game worldwide, has announced the renewal of its broadcast partnership with SuperSport, the largest sports broadcaster in Africa and a subsidiary of MultiChoice, a Canal+ Group company.

The partnership allows SuperSport to deliver comprehensive live coverage of the 2026 LIV Golf League season, featuring 14 events across 10 countries and five continents, including events in Adelaide, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mexico, the United States, the United Kingdom, and additional international destinations.

The broadcast agreement follows SuperSport's broadcast of the five-part docuseries, Greens & Gold, which chronicled the on- and off-course performance, team culture, and competitive mindset of Southern Guards GC, providing fans with behind-the-scenes access to the all–South African team and its journey within the LIV Golf League.

Golf fans can look forward to the League’s first-ever event in South Africa, LIV Golf South Africa, taking place 19-22 March 2026, at The Club at Steyn City in Johannesburg.

The South Africa event has already emerged as one of the fastest-selling events across the 2026 LIV Golf season, reflecting strong demand from fans and underscoring the momentum surrounding LIV Golf’s arrival in the region.

This historic milestone for LIV Golf is a testament to the passion and national pride of the League’s South Africa–based team, the Southern Guards, captained by major champion Louis Oosthuizen , alongside multiple LIV Golf event winner Branden Grace, prolific global performer and LIV Golf Chicago 2025 Champion Dean Burmester, and Open Champion Charl Schwartzel.

“SuperSport is proud to once again be at the forefront of bringing innovation in the sport of golf to Africa,” said Rendani Ramovha, CANAL+ Director: Sport, Content (English & Portuguese-Speaking Africa).

“This partnership with LIV Golf is a credit not just to the broadcast capabilities of SuperSport in bringing the world’s finest golfers in immaculate broadcast quality to viewers across Africa, but to South African golf as a whole. As part of our integration into the global Canal+ Group ecosystem, we are committed to leveraging our best-in-class production and technical facilities to showcase the South Africa event to the rest of the world. This will pave the way for developing golf further in Africa.”

Örjan Olsson, SVP, International Media Rights at LIV Golf, added: “We’re delighted to reaffirm our partnership with SuperSport and the Canal+ Group, which has been a cornerstone of LIV Golf’s journey in South Africa and across the region. Africa represents a strategically important growth market for LIV Golf, and SuperSport’s scale, production excellence, and commitment to premium sports storytelling make it an ideal partner. As 2026 marks a defining chapter for LIV Golf on the African continent, we believe that SuperSport is the ideal broadcast partner to once again deliver unparalleled coverage of elite competition.”

Via the new rights agreement, golf fans across Sub-Saharan Africa can consistently follow a premier global field spanning the sport’s most elite competitors and iconic figures beyond South Africa’s Southern Guards roster - including Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Joaquin Niemann, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson , Sergio Garcia, Tyrrell Hatton, and more.

LIV Golf’s competition format, with events contested over four rounds and 72 holes across many of the world’s most iconic courses, is anchored by the League’s signature shotgun start.

The League’s innovative broadcast approach accelerates pace and enhances both individual and team storylines, delivering a dynamic, action-dense viewing experience with significantly more live action than traditional golf broadcasts - all within a four-to-five-hour window.

LIV Golf’s South African Team docuseries, Greens & Gold, is available on DStv CatchUp. 

March 2026 On ESPN Across Africa | NRL | Major League Baseball | More

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NRL 

The National Rugby League is a professional rugby league competition in Australasia which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand.

The new season kicks off on 1 March 2026. A few big games to look forward to are: 

Knights vs Cowboys, 1 March at 04:15

Broncos vs Eels, 12 March at 11:00

Sea Eagles vs Roosters, 26 March at 11:00

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 

Major League Baseball is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League and the American League, with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada.

Exciting fixtures to look out for:

Giants vs Yankees, 26 March at 02:00

Mariners vs Guardians, 27 March at 04:10

Blue Jays vs Athletics, 29 March at 19:35

THE AFL

The Australian Football League is the pre-eminent professional competition of Australian rules football.

The opening round starts on 5 March 2026. Big fixtures include: 

Sydney vs Carlton, 5 March at 10:35

Melbourne vs St. Kilda, 15 March at 06:15

West Coast vs North Melbourne, 22 March at 09:10

NCAA COLLEGE BASKETBALL – MARCH MADNESS

The NCAA Division 1 men's basketball tournament, branded as March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played in the United States to determine the men's college basketball national champion of the Division 1 level in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

March Madness starts on 17 March on ESPN 2.

Please note: 

All fixtures and schedules are subject to change. 

Broadcast times are provided in CAT (Central African Time) 

How to tune in to ESPN:

ESPN: DStv 218, StarTimes 248 

ESPN2: DStv 219, StarTimes 249

How Canal+ Might Rollout A Sports Only Package On DStv?

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Canal+ managed to complete it's acquisition of MultiChoice by late 2025 and since then had been undergoing some restructure. This includes scaling back on services such as Showmax and renewal of WBD channels in Europe and Africa.

Prior to the takeover, MultiChoice was exploring possibly offering sports on a separate package with another package offering local entertainment, movies and news.

It should be noted that this isn't the first time they explored such an offering and they've been very skeptical about separating SuperSport. This is because it wasn't deemed as viable as seen with Showmax PRO another had to do with the pricing.

In MultiChoice's first test run, consumers would have been given the option to pay a monthly rate of R300 for Mzansi Magic, Discovery Channel and Cartoon Network. This excluded the AddMovies offering which comprised of M-Net Movies 1 & 2.

SuperSport's offering on this package was divided between two the first would consist of PSL, La Liga and Premier League while the other featured Tennis, Rugby and Cricket. Both of which were also priced at R300 and those opting to pay both got a discount.

As seen with AddMovies where consumers aren't paying for this as a standalone the same is likely to await the sport's offering but under Canal+'s influence they could find some workaround.

A majority of Netflix subscribers are less likely to subscribe to the sports offering if MultiChoice were to tell them they needed to pay for the general entertainment package. This is what MultiChoice wanted to burden onto these clients in its drafts.

Under Canal+, these clients may be given the option to include SuperSport in their Netflix subscription. For those using Showmax, Canal+ could give these clients a discounted rate by bundling this service with SuperSport.

Netflix and Showmax are basically the OTT counterparts to this general entertainment package from DStv so the idea of them bundling SuperSport onto these services wouldn't seem far fetched.

SuperSport Will Not Be Broadcasting The Winter Olympics Which Is Taking Place From 6 To 22 February 2026

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This year, SuperSport will not have any coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, which are taking place from 6 to 22 February 2026.

A spokesperson for MultiChoice, now owned by French media giant Groupe Canal+, told sources that there wouldn’t be live coverage or highlights on Catch Up.

There is currently no official media rights holder for the event listed on the Olympics website. It merely states “TBC”.

After not sending a team to the Winter Olympics since 2018, South Africa has sent its largest-ever winter sports delegation to the games this year.

South Africa has five people competing in the Winter Olympics this year: two in alpine skiing, one in cross-country skiing, one in freestyle skiing, and one in skeleton.

Lara Markthaler has made local headlines as one of the youngest women in the field, celebrating her 19th birthday when she competes in the giant slalom on 15 February. She has also qualified for slalom.

Nicole Burger is the first South African woman to qualify in Skeleton, while Matt Smith qualified for cross-country skiing in just two years.

Malica Malherbe will represent South Africa in freestyle skiing, and 17-year-old Thomas Weir is another up-and-comer in alpine skiing alongside Markthaler.

Dropping the Winter Olympics from DStv means Canal+ is starting to weaken its SuperSport offering to save money, which points to serious trouble for the pay-TV operator.

DStv Premium subscribers are willing to pay over R1,000 a month for a decoder-based package because of its exceptional SuperSport offering.

Streaming-only subscribers on a month-to-month plan pay R799 per month for DStv Premium. On contract, streaming-only DStv Premium packages are available for R699 per month.

Whether it is rugby, soccer, cricket, tennis, boxing, golf, motorsport, or athletics, if there is a big sporting event, it is sure to be on SuperSport.

However, MultiChoice has now broken the trust of DStv Premium subscribers for failing to show the Winter Olympics with a historic South African team representing the country at the games.

Canal+ Might Be Shedding More Costs On SuperSport With The Upcoming Spring Classics

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The Spring Classics are an early season event that kicks off the major pro cycling calendar, with Milan-San Remo (longest one-day race, often sprint finish), Strade Bianche (gravel roads, dramatic), and Paris-Roubaix (cobbled sectors, iconic) being huge draws.

SuperSport historically covered many events (e.g., Tour de France via ASO partnerships), but different organizers hold rights: ASO for Paris-Roubaix, RCS for the Italian races. This leads to gaps where SuperSport secures some but not others.

In an enquiry, SuperSport had confirmed they secured rights to the Paris-Roubaix but not Milan-San Remo and Strade Bianche. It's less likely that SuperSport will try to secure them at a later stage.

Rights for these races (organized by RCS Sport) are typically secured well in advance for major broadcasters. The races will commence in March with Strade Bianche on March 7 and Milan-San Remo around March 21.

Fans will have to rely on VPNs, international streams, or other platforms as workarounds.

Several scenarios do enter the fray as to why SuperSport opted to not secure the rights. Firstly, Canal+ took over MultiChoice in late 2025 and had been slashing costs within the company as seen with Philly's Games and World Darts Championship.

Another stems from licensing costs, the relatively small South African cycling fanbase, and rights fragmentation.

Existing Threat Awaiting SuperSport And DStv Customers

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In 2024, it was reported Netflix had acquired global rights to WWE's catalogue which include Raw, SmackDown, NXT and live PPVs like Summerslam. As of last year, it has been streaming in the US, UK, Canada and various other international markets.

At the time, SuperSport had confirmed that they remain the exclusive home to WWE's offering across Africa. Of course, this multi-year agreement between both parties was finalised back in 2022 and will conclude sometime in 2027.

If anyone remembers how Disney+ panned out, you had various countries in Europe and other parts of the world awaiting for the streaming service. This was because of existing agreements with other broadcasters.

Then when that fell through it opened up the doors for Disney+.

This is what is expected to happen with SuperSport once their current agreement for WWE expires. You won't have a 24 hour channel for old PPVs, Mzansi Magic and all other SuperSport channels will no longer have live broadcasts to Crown Jewel.

MultiChoice is less likely to replicate WWE and even if that were to be the case it's likely to end up like TNA Wrestling on e.tv. The only logical option would be bulking up the offering on SuperSport Action in the event WWE ceases to exist.

If I'm being honest here, SuperSport has a lot going for itself despite existing threats in the market. To some extent, recovery is possible for them unlike DStv which has seen more content being taken away without alternatives in place.

Maybe I'm exaggerating here and WWE continues through 2030 on SuperSport but if you read between the lines. This deal is sort of being built up like that of Disney+ were some things SuperSport can't prevent from occuring happen.

Trace Ngoma, Trace Gospel And WWE Channel Now On DStv Access???

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MultiChoice had been running an Upsize promotion on the DStv platform since November 2025 as part of a 30 year celebration. This meant lower packages would get access to premium content at no additional charge.

Unbeknownst to some viewers was the sudden inclusion of Trace Ngoma, Trace Gospel and the 24 hour WWE channel on DStv Access.

WWE Channel (Channel 128) is a dedicated 24-hour channel for all things World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It offers flagship shows like Raw, SmackDown, and NXT, as well as pay-per-views documentaries, and archival content.

Trace Gospel (Channel 332) is a 24-hour music channel dedicated to showcasing the diversity and richness of local and international gospel music.

Trace Ngoma (Channel 326) is the new home for South African music and culture, with a strong focus on local genres and artists. "Ngoma" reflects themes of drumbeat, celebration, and heritage.

Last year, Paramount had shuttered MTV Base, BET, CBS Reality and CBS Justice due to a restructuring following it's buyout by Skydance. It was stated by MultiChoice that consumers could browse similar content on Mzansi Magic and Channel O.

This was their way of saying no plans are underway to retain Judge Judy much less rollout replacements. Consumers would be starting the new year with 4 less channels.

Since late 2025, Trace Africa, Trace Gospel and WWE brands which had been exclusive to DStv Premium, Compact+, Compact and Family are now listed on Access.

In an enquiry to MultiChoice, they were only able to confirm the inclusion of Trace Urban's other TV channels. We can only assume that maybe MultiChoice wants to make Access the premier destination for Gqom and Amapiano.

As for WWE, MultiChoice had been very mim about whether it's a permanent addition but if you do browse the company's services in other parts of Africa. WWE does serve as a permanent fixture to these consumers and oddly it wasn't the case in SA.

SuperSport Dumps Philly's Games And PDC World Championship Due To Canal+'s Cost Cutting At MultiChoice

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As some consumers know, Canal+ is now in control over acquiring full ownership of MultiChoice last week. Since then, they've been reviewing sponsorships and existing broadcasts deals which had led to the cancellation of Philly's Games.

Consumers wishing to see the tournament can live stream on Facebook as the event will no longer broadcast on DStv. You can attend the games in various locations across Tembisa, with the final taking place at the Mehlareng Stadium. 

The 2025/2026 Philly's Games in Tembisa, South Africa are currently underway, running from December 20, 2025, to January 3, 2026. However, the tournament has lost its DStv sponsorship and is not being broadcast on SuperSport this year. 

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Also forming part of the dramatic cuts is PDC World Darts Championship.

SuperSport is not broadcasting the 2025/2026 PDC World Darts Championship, which began on December 15, 2025. This is reportedly because SuperSport no longer holds the broadcast rights for this year’s championship. 

While SuperSport aired the previous year's tournament, viewers in South Africa have reported that the 2025/2026 edition is missing from the DStv schedule.

Because the tournament is blacked out on DStv, South African fans will have to stream the matches on DAZN or the official PDC streaming service. Lives updates are also available on PDC official website and Flashscore ZA.

NBA Returns To SuperSport And Makes Its Showmax Debut In Sub-Saharan Africa

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The NBA has made a slam dunk return to SuperSport channels, bringing live coverage back across Africa for the first time since the 2015/16 season, fueling the continent's growing passion for basketball. Fans can immediately watch selected regular-season games and playoff games, plus the All-Star Weekend, featuring global superstars like MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Dončić. This NBA season marks the first time it’s available on Showmax Premier League.

MultiChoice, a CANAL+ company, is thrilled to announce the return of the National Basketball Association (NBA) to SuperSport and its first appearance on Showmax Premier League platforms.

For the first time since the 2015-16 season, SuperSport channels will once again carry live NBA games, marking a significant step as the sport's popularity continues its massive growth trajectory across Africa. This is a celebration of athleticism and star power, offering fans the chance to catch all the action from the NBA live on SuperSport. It is a notable moment for basketball fans across the continent as Showmax Premier League streams live NBA games for the first time ever.

With the NBA on SuperSport and Showmax, viewers can look forward to seeing the greatest talents in the world, including former MVPs Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets), the "Greek Freak" Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), reigning regular season and finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), global superstar Luka Dončić (Los Angeles Lakers), and electrifying talent Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves).

A Landmark Deal for African Basketball

Viewers will be immersed in the league's drama, featuring selected live regular-season games and playoff games, as well as full coverage of the spectacular All-Star Weekend.

Rendani Ramovha, CANAL+ Director of Sport Content for English and Portuguese-speaking Africa, expressed his delight at the partnership :

"The return of the NBA to SuperSport is a landmark moment that underscores our commitment to bringing the best global sports to our audiences across the continent,” said Ramovha.

“This deal is massive for the growth of basketball in Africa. We are delighted to once again offer our viewers a front-row seat to the speed, skill, and drama of the world's most exciting basketball league."

The NBA games, featuring a fully produced English-language feed, will be available across multiple platforms in more than 50 countries, ensuring maximum accessibility for basketball enthusiasts: SuperSport linear Channels on DStv, DStv Stream, and GOtv, and Showmax (Premier League), while highlights will be on SuperSport's digital and social channels.

The NBA will be available on DStv Compact packages across Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as on GOtv Supa Plus.

The NBA is also already available in French language on CANAL+ platforms in Africa, enabling coverage of the competition across the group's entire African footprint.

Canal+ And SuperSport To Broadcast AFCON In More Than 40 Countries Across Africa

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CANAL+ is proud to announce that its MultiChoice subsidiary, SuperSport, has secured broadcast rights for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025™ (TotalEnergies CAF AFCON 2025™) for English and Portuguese-speaking African countries.

When the 35th edition of the tournament kicks off in Morocco on 21 December 2025, CANAL+ will become the first global broadcaster to bring viewers the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025™, the massive African football showpiece, in French, English, Portuguese and local indigenous languages.

It means the broadcaster will offer CANAL+ and SuperSport viewers the most comprehensive football viewing experience that any sports broadcaster has ever managed to accomplish for Africa’s greatest football competition.

The group made the announcement on 06 November 2025 that SuperSport has concluded a broadcast rights deal with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for the right to broadcast the tournament in English and Portuguese-speaking Sub-Saharan African territories.

CANAL+ Africa CEO, David Mignot, said: “CANAL+ Africa CEO, David Mignot, said: “Our newly-formed merger with the MultiChoice Group has already unlocked opportunities and benefits for our customers. And this year’s TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 is a great demonstration of the power and potential of this common ambition: bringing together our expertise to offer unprecedented coverage.

"Moreover, broadcasting this competition in different languages is a strong way to build closeness with our viewers. For all these reasons, our subscribers will be part of the most spectacular celebration of African football."

CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe, said: “This is an exciting day for CAF and for African football. When the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations takes place in Morocco in December, Africans everywhere — on the continent and across the diaspora — will be watching with pride. Millions will follow the games on television, celebrating the best that African football has to offer.

“In Ivory Coast, the last AFCON attracted approximately 1.5 billion viewers globally. We anticipate that this edition will be an even greater success, reaching new audiences and inspiring the world once again. When 180 nations express interest in broadcasting AFCON, it is proof that the world is excited about African football.”

CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe, said: “[CAF to insert quote]”[SM1]

Rendani Ramovha, Director of Sport Content English and Portuguese-speaking Africa for MultiChoice, (a CANAL+ company), said: “We are especially proud to be able to bring the story of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025™, live to all our viewers in English and Portuguese-speaking Sub-Saharan African territories.

"SuperSport has been the preferred choice for millions of passionate fans across the continent, and this tournament won’t be different, as we will have a dedicated SuperSport AFCON channel.

“As part of the CANAL+ Group, we can take that viewing experience to another level, which means people can expect more compelling viewing, brought to them in a language of their choice. It is truly poised to be a celebration of African glory.”

Viewers will be able to view SuperSport’s coverage of Morocco 25 on DStv and GOtv, while CANAL+ subscribers will enjoy the action on CANAL+ Sport and on demand using the CANAL+ app.

In Nigeria and surrounding regions, fans can enjoy the matches in English or Pidgin, while Swahili is available in East African countries such as Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. In Angola, South Africa and Mozambique, fans have become accustomed to enjoying the beautiful game in Portuguese on SuperSport, which will be available during the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025™.

South Africans, meanwhile, will also enjoy games in isiZulu and Setswana on top of the standard English and Portuguese commentary.

CANAL+ and SuperSport’s coverage of the tournament will include stellar line-ups of star analysts, commentators, presenters and African football legends, who will bring their unique takes on the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025™.

Hundreds of millions of viewers can see their favourite African heroes in action, including the likes of Victor Osimhen (Nigeria), Mohamed Salah (Egypt), Sadio Mané (Senegal), Ronwen Williams (South Africa), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria) and Achraf Hakimi (Morocco).

SuperSport To Broadcast Ligue 1 Matches After Canal+ Afrique Secured Rights Through The 2028-9 Season

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Last year, Canal+ extended its rights in Sub-Saharan Africa to cover French soccer’s top-tier Ligue 1 through the end of the 2028-29 season. Recently, it was announced on SuperSport's social platforms the inclusion of Ligue 1.

The first match will feature Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) facing Strasbourg, scheduled for 8:45 PM CAT on SS Football and Africa 2. This is a strategic move by SuperSport, especially considering the recent acquisition of MultiChoice by Canal+. 

SuperSport also previously held broadcasting rights for Ligue 1 several years ago. 

Canal+, through its Canal+ Afrique arm, has shown Ligue 1 in French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa since the beginning of the 2018-19 season, after it purchased the rights for the cycle through the 2023-24 season for around €80 million ($95.4 million) per year.

Following its acquisition of MultiChoice, the broadcaster operates in over 40 African countries both directly and through a network of wholly and partially-owned subsidiaries, all of which accounts for over 20 million subscribers on the continent as of the end of 2024.

Netflix Set To Bid For Champions League Rights

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Streaming giant Netflix is set to bid for UEFA Champions League rights for the 2027/28 season. They are thought to be interested in the ‘global first pick’ package, which will give exclusive rights around the globe for the leading game in each round.

UEFA will attract around €5 billion per year in the next round of bidding, an increase from the current package, which brought them in €3.3 billion.

Champions League Showcases Best Teams in Europe

The UEFA Champions League is considered the premier football competition in Europe, so it is no surprise that Netflix want to be part of the action. They will be hoping to feature the likes of Real Madrid, PSG and Arsenal, three teams flying high in their respective leagues this season. The latter top the Premier League standings ahead of their visit to Fulham in a London derby. They are 1/2 favourites in the Fulham vs Arsenal odds for the game.

In the Premier League betting this season, Liverpool are 11/4 to defend their title. The six-time Champions League winners are hugely popular around the world, so Netflix will be keen to frequently feature Arne Slot’s side if they secure the ‘global first pick’ package.

The Champions League changed its format in 2024 to include a 36-team league in the opening phase of the competition. This has helped to pit the bigger teams against each other earlier than usual, increasing the viewing figures for the group stage.

Amazon Already Involved in Champions League

One of Netflix’s direct competitors, Prime Video, already streams Champions League matches as part of the current package. They share the rights in the UK with TNT Sports, with Amazon broadcasting 17 matches.

Amazon, Apple and Disney are expected to bid along with Netflix for the ‘global first pick’ package from 2027. UEFA will be hoping that with four streaming giants involved, it will drive the auction to record numbers.

The winner of the auction may need to increase the cost of their packages to their customers to fund the expenditure. They will be hoping to attract new subscribers who are keen to watch the Champions League.

Boxing Has Proved a Big Success for Netflix

Should they win the rights to the UEFA Champions League, it won’t be the first sporting event that Netflix have streamed. They have already shown some major boxing events on their platform.

Netflix hosted the exhibition event between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson in 2024. It was watched live by over 60 million households. The company also shot content in the lead-up to the fight to sit across their platform.

More recently, Netflix won the rights to the huge clash between Saul Alvarez and Terence Crawford. That was billed as one of the biggest clashes this decade in the sport. Over 41 million households watched that fight live from Las Vegas.

If they can win the right to the Champions League, it will be a boost for Netflix, who are keen to be more involved in some of the leading sporting events in the world.

How SuperSport Is Impacted By The Canal+ Acquisition?

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Not long ago, Canal+ SA had completed its acquisition of South African pay-TV operator MultiChoice Group, securing a 48.2% stake in the company.

The transaction, which Canal+ described as its largest ever, creates a global media and entertainment group serving more than 40 million subscribers across nearly 70 countries in Africa, Europe, and Asia, with approximately 17,000 employees.

Since the merger, there had been a great deal of concern amongst the media regarding SuperSport and Canal+ was quick to clarify that the deal wouldn't lead it to become Canal+ Sport. Of course, they've been talking about synergies in the last couple of months.

In Francophone Africa, MultiChoice has been distributing an add on service to Canal+ Afrique consumers known as DStv English Plus. It offers Premier League and La Liga for instance I'm assuming those are the type of synergies they're referring.

Before the merger, Canal+ didn't have much sporting rights for consumers in Africa as seen in Europe and France so they'd license content from rivals such as Bein Sports and DAZN. Under this merger, SuperSport will most definitely need to align with its French equivalent Canal+ Sport.

If Canal+ Afrique distributed Ligue 1 through its deal with Bein Sports rather than SuperSport launching a dedicated channel it also distributes Bein Sports to prevent any overlaps or duplication. Same goes for doccies like Chasing The Sun which will likely get dubbed rather than retooled into a separate series.

Some revaluation is underway for Showmax in which MultiChoice revamped last year in partnership with NBCUniversal. This could affect Showmax Premier League offering as it would rival with DStv Stream's extensive offering due to its low rates.

MultiChoice is looking to possibly offer SuperSport as a standalone service on DStv combined with Showmax this could as well be Football based package with separate offering for cricket, rugby and tennis. Maybe they could take a page from Ultraview by offering PSL and La Liga separately. 

Finally with a merger there's always potential drawbacks as MultiChoice has lost over a million subscribers in the last year. The acquiring company makes cuts think of the Ethiopian Premier League the losses could affect more niche African leagues.

September 2025 On ESPN Across Africa | Return Of The NFL + Fixtures | MLB World Finals | AFL Finals | More

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RETURN OF THE NFL

The National Football League is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference.

Key fixtures to look out for:

Eagles vs Cowboys - 5 Sept

Chiefs vs Eagles - 14 Sept

NY Giants vs Chiefs - 22 Sept

Raiders vs Bears - 28 Sept

MLB WORLD FINALS

The 2025 Major League Baseball (MLB) season is in full swing with all 30 teams scheduled to play 162 games across a season that culminates in the World Series in September. ESPN airs live MLB games throughout the week and over weekends. 

The MLB Playoffs will start the end of September, running through the end of October.

FOOTBALL CONTINUES

The Saudi Pro League, EFL, Turkish Super Lig, NWSL, Eredevisie, DKF Pokal, Scottish Premiership and return to ESPN. All the above leagues are in action in the month of September.

AFL

The Australian Football League is the pre-eminent professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition from the Victorian Football Association, with its inaugural season in 1897. 

The AFL final is taking place on Saturday 27 September and will air on ESPN Africa.

NRL

The National Rugby League is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, and New Zealand. The NRL continues in September.

The Premiership Grand Final will take place on 5 October 2025.

Why A Sports Only Package Seemed Speculative But Unlikely For DStv?

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As reported, MultiChoice is planning to restructure it's DStv packages giving consumers the option of paying for TLC and Mzansi Magic minus SuperSport. Also within the test run, is the possibility of unbundling SuperSport from the rest of the DStv offering.

This has been something Sky in the UK and their potential new owners Canal+ had in France. MultiChoice had acknowledged falling behind with other parts of the world and in its bid to attract DStv consumers will be the unbundling of its offering.

There's a reason various outlets have been highly skeptical about SuperSport becoming its own standalone platform. Take a page of Showmax PRO, some consumers would subscribe for certain matches then cancel making it hard for MultiChoice to accommodate these viewers.

Canal+ had also offered such service in the markets in which it operates and concluded to say everyone that has tried this failed.

So what MultiChoice proposed in earlier drafts was giving consumers the option of paying for local dramas, cartoons, music and movie channels. In an attempt to make rates affordable for its top tier consumers give them the option to get a football only package with other sports on a separate package.

Those choosing to pay for both packages would be offered a discounted rate. A formula Canal+ already incorporate and one MultiChoice will likely adapt when concluding their trial in the coming months.

ESPN Across Africa: English Football League, Major League Baseball And More In August

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FOOTBALL SEASON RETURNS

The European football leagues return in August for the 2025/26 season 

Catch all the action from the English Football League (EFL), Scottish Premier Football League (SPFL), Dutch Eredivisie and the DFB Pokal.

MLB

The 2025 Major League Baseball (MLB) season is full throttle with all 30 teams scheduled to play 162 games across a season that culminates in the World Series in November.

The biggest hits, the quickest pitchers, the brilliant catches and all the home run action every week Live on ESPN.

Key Fixtures:

Tigers vs Pirates – 19 June

Yankees vs Orioles – 21 June

Astros vs Phillies – 26 June

Brewers vs Rockies – 29 June

NRL

The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league competition featuring teams from Australia and New Zealand. The conclusion to the NRL 2025 regular season reaches breakpoint.

Watch the NRL on ESPN Africa every weekend! 

Please note: 

All fixtures and schedules are subject to change. 

Broadcast times are provided in CAT (Central African Time) 

How to tune in to ESPN:

ESPN: DStv 218, Starsat 248 

ESPN2: DStv 219, Starsat 249

Why Canal+ And MultiChoice Are Likely To Retain SuperSportBET?

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Canal+ has been vocal with the media on MultiChoice's decision to diversify outside of pay-tv which they don't deem a necessity. These include NMIS Insurance Services (Insurance), Moment (finance), Namola (emergency services) and SuperSportBET (gambling).

MultiChoice initially being insolvent had to scale back on these endeavours with Sanlam that acquired a 60% stake in NMIS Insurance Services. Then there was the end of SuperSport United which MultiChoice acquired in 1994 as Pretoria City.

With the deal almost near completion as it awaits final approval from the Competition Tribunal and ICASA. There has been questions about what may become of SuperSportBET as it too is deemed a non core asset.

SuperSportBET which forms part of a joint venture between MultiChoice and Kingmakers had launched in 2021 and still operates at a loss if you were to compare it with existing competitors such as Betway and HollywoodBet.

But then again, it's something Canal+ might retain as they had initially planned to launch betting service in Europe by the 2010s in conjunction with Ladbrokes. Maybe this MultiChoice transaction is what could persuade them to revisit this venture and getting to SuperSport United.

It was a physical fan club which had several expenses tied to it being player's salaries, facilities and management all of which yielded very little income. SuperSportBET being a digital entity has less expenses and with betting seeing a surge in consumption it's likely to become profitable.

Betting had been viewed as a popular marketing tool for sports compared to a fan club which relies on physical media which had been in decline.

Bloemfontein Celtic Revival In The Works As SuperSport United Reportedly Sold For R50 Million

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SuperSport United FC has been sold to a Bloemfontein businessman for R50 million, paving the way for the rebirth of the beloved Bloemfontein Celtic. The announcement, broken by renowned sports journalist Robert Marawa, confirms that the club will now operate under the new name "Celtic United."

The sale marks the end of an era for SuperSport United, a Tshwane-based club that has been a fixture in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) since 1994, known for nurturing top talent and delivering competitive performances. 

The move signals a revival for Bloemfontein Celtic, a Free State giant with a passionate fanbase known as Siwelele. However, The club’s former owner, the late Petros Molemela, died with the title deed, and the new owners are unable to legally use the name hence the launch of Celtic United. 

Founded in 1969, Celtic had competed in the PSL until financial woes forced it to sell its status to now Royal AM in 2021.

This transaction underscores the fragile financial landscape of South African football. According to a May 2025 report by the Daily Maverick, over 40% of PSL clubs operate at a loss, highlighting the unsustainable model that has seen historic teams like Wits and now SuperSport relinquish their top-flight status.

MultiChoice And SuperSport Aren't Threatened By Netflix And WWE Deal

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Earlier in the year, WWE debuted on Netflix for consumers in US, UK and Canada as the streamer acquired exclusive rights to its flagship shows Raw, SmackDown and NXT alongside archived and premium live events. At the time, it was stated that Netflix would look to extend this to more markets.

In Africa, SuperSport held exclusive rights after its departure from e.tv in 2017 followed by another extension in 2022. At the time, SuperSport assured fans on DStv that it's rollout in some parts of the world wouldn't affect them.

During the week, MultiChoice unveiled their annual results for 31 March 2025 and within those documents MultiChoice addressed various topics one of which relate to WWE.

Since last year, various streaming platforms have started rivalling with SuperSport or as seen within this document YouTube + NFL and Amazon Prime Video + Prime Video Sport. MultiChoice in its defense highlights Premier League likely due to its tie-up to Showmax. 

To us this is sort of signal to SuperSport's impending disaster firstly with Ethiopian Premier League and in future (2027/8), WWE. This deal with Netflix is a global deal worth R94 billion and in some markets like Africa there is hurdles to getting this to the platform.

SuperSport in losing WWE would leave AEW on TNT as the only wrestling promotion on DStv unless that's removed as well with Amazon Prime Video and DAZN snatching rights to the promotion in some markets.

Even if SuperSport were to relinquish rights of AEW from TNT fact is WWE has a dedicated channel and AEW doesn't have enough content for such. To top it off, AEW lacks in scale and familiarity compared to WWE even with the presence of Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho.

That's what happened when e.tv attempted to use TNA to replace WWE the latter changed timeslots numerous times and moved exclusively to Openview before folding under StarTimes. It's likely that SuperSport will streamline its efforts and focus on its remaining lineup.

Even if Netflix has WWE with YouTube having NFL fact of the matter is they can't replicate SuperSport's diverse offering as it's expensive.

MultiChoice Looking To Unbundle SuperSport In A Not So Distant Future If Not Launch A DStv Premium Competitior

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A few years ago, MultiChoice was experimenting with the possibility of unbundling SuperSport and the trail had since gone quiet. Now it looks like the company may be revisiting this within the next financial period April 2026 and prior to this is it's pending takeover by Canal+.

Recently it was reported that they are no longer insolvent due to the sale of NMIS Insurance Services but DStv consumers to be a loss maker there. If anything, this unbundled offering seems like a more likeable approach especially under French management.

MultiChoice said the initiative was still in its early stages and that it was still assessing the offering’s commercial impact and customer value. 

But then again, Canal+ very much like Sky in the UK offers a standalone sports package which boasts about 9 sports channels for R720 a month. Some people may view this as a victory but in hindsight that is only for entertainment lovers.

DStv Flex which was earlier concept for this unbundled offering boasts over 60 channels ranging from general entertainment, news, cartoons and music. It comes with an option to bundle one of 3 sports packages alongside AddMovies.

This draft dates back to 2021 so rates are likely to be adjusted should this unbundled offering enter fruition. Of course, at the time MultiChoice was hesitant on offering sports as a standalone so if they do launch a sports package it will be expensive - cheaper with DStv Stream consumers.

The question MultiChoice has yet to address should this launch is whether this package will lead certain channels to close or if it will lead them to merging Compact+ and Premium. When or if it does launch, there's most likely going to be an uptake in the number of subscriptions from existing consumers.

Some would argue that even with this draft the rates are higher particularly those on Access and Easyview. It does lead you to wonder if the general entertainment package will have another price plan which prioritizes secondary brands like Mzansi Wethu.

If so then I'd imagine DStv Premium to Access undergoing a major overhaul with Easyview unscatched.