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

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

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

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

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?

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.

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

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.

Why Canal+ And MultiChoice Are Likely To Retain SuperSportBET?

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

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

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

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. 

Channel Closure: SuperSport Liyu Goes Dark On June 30th On DStv In Ethiopia

For those who haven't heard, SuperSport had opted not to distribute the Ethiopian Premier League after signing a 5 year deal in 2020. As a result, SuperSport Liyu will stop being distributed on the DStv platform by 30 June.

From what I recall, SuperSport Liyu was a football channel or the Amharic equivalent of SuperSport Football offering Premier League and La Liga. With the channel taking the plunge, it's not really known whether the latter will be distributed in Amharic on other SuperSport channels.

MultiChoice which serves as the holder of SuperSport has been dealing with financial constraints and are now relying on them to get of this stigma. Earlier in the year, Canal+ did close its pay-tv operations in the regions so whose to say what's going to happen now under the merged company.

Prior to Liyu's closure, MultiChoice had suddenly put up a test card for the channel onto its transponders in Southern Africa. So either plans were underway to do some open window (which I doubt) or MultiChoice is experimenting on another TV channel with its frequencies.

It's not known if this channel will be carried in other parts of Africa, what content may come out of this or if this channel will ever be launched as seen with Via's duplicate channel.

A statement from the general manager of EPN

Speaking on the matter, the league’s general manager Kifele Seyife said SuperSport have already ended its partnership. “DSTV had a rocky financial year at South Africa. They have ended the deal with us. They have already paid their last installment of the season.”

SuperSport has showcased few league games this season so far. Pan-Africa Football understands only sixty league games will be shown live on TV this season. The league and SuperSport failed to negotiate a new deal after DSTV owner Multichoice sold many of its shares to French company Canal Plus. 

The league has now shifted their focus on securing a new broadcaster. National broadcaster Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation has shown interest and the league is also weighing an option to stream live games on EthioTele’s Tele TV. 

DStv Shorts: ROK Might Be Loading In High Definition (HD), Teen Africa TV Gets Yanked Off And SuperSport Liyu's Launch Likely Postponed

ROK is going HD

MultiChoice is currently in the process of completing its acquisition by ROK owners Canal+ as the deal is set to finalised by the Competition Tribunal in the coming months. Amidst this, ROK had been making some headlines in the previous months.

As recalled, it appeared that ROK was experimenting on a third TV channel with ROK 2 available in other parts of Africa. As this channel had its own schedule with most of the content (mainly movies) borrowed from the current ROK channels on DStv now that appears to have been killed off (maybe).

Usually in testing stages, placeholders usually come in before the actual channel begins development but in ROK's case that could as well remain a mystery. For now, it appears to be an HD feed for the eldest ROK channel so we can only assume when the buyout commences ROK will remain unaffected.

Teen Africa TV takes a raincheck 

Teen Africa TV is a Nigerian based youth channel that offers locally produced content which range from reality, educational content and drama series. For sometime, Teen Africa TV has struggled to remain consistent as broadcast hours and content offering had further been reduced.

According to posts on their social platforms, Teen Africa TV is planning to go "fully online" which implies it's discontinuation on DStv, GOtv and StarTimes as they're not listed on any of their websites. On top of that, their new home YouTube has been inactive and has very little noticeability.

Kind of curious where this funding will come from and how they'll be able to monetize any of this going forward.

Since it's inception, Teen Africa TV has controversial first with allegations of workers not getting paid. Another had to do with MultiChoice moving it's frequency closer to other children channels on DStv despite being a youth channel some of its content caters for a much older audience.

SuperSport extending the reach of Liyu

We were the first to report on this and from what some subscribers had seen last month MultiChoice added SuperSport Liyu on channel 236 - probably a test launch. Since then, MultiChoice hasn't stated the exact reason for inducting the channel to more consumers across Africa.

It is a football channel with majority of content already accessible on other SuperSport channels. To top it off, the content is broadcast in Amharic which is only known to consumers in Ethiopia my hunch still stands it's likely a pop-up channel they're using to boast a major event.

The fact it was allocated with the other SuperSport channels only to get removed means one of two things first the channel was delayed as MultiChoice had been notorious for such. Second, they likely scrapped the launch for some apparent reason.

Development Alert (Rumour): MultiChoice To Add SuperSport Liyu To DStv Consumers In More African Countries

Beginning in March 2022, the SuperSport channel in Ethiopia – SuperSport Liyu – will herald the start of a bold new foray into Ethiopian football. The channel is likely to be added as a pop-up as it was also spotted on channel 196 - a section for overflow channels.

Not only will SuperSport Liyu be the home of the Ethiopian Premier League, it will broadcast select matches from many of the world’s top leagues, among them La Liga, Premier League, Serie A, Europa League, Uefa Champions League and the Uefa Conference League.

MultiChoice hasn't stated the reason for the sudden inclusion of SuperSport Liyu presuming similar to Namibia's NBC a special event is being hosted which concerns consumers in other African countries.

MultiChoice Africa Might Be Renaming SuperSport Football Plus To Football Plus Canal+

MultiChoice is currently undergoing a takeover bid by Canal+ with local legislation as the two look to tie the knot by October 2025. This comes after both parties were looking to finalize the transaction later in the week with SuperSport that would inevitably become a division of Canal+ Sport.

During the day, a DStv consumer outside South Africa had spotted a channel known as Football Plus Canal+ on their media portal. Initially, we thought this could as well be a pop-up channel of some sort on channels 199 but digging further into the lineup it looks like it will be replacing SuperSport Football Plus.

Football Plus Canal+ has a duplicate schedule and to be frank there's no chance that Canal+ can duplicate this for French audience in Africa. Canal+ Afrique doesn't have that much sporting rights for its consumers and the ones obtained by SuperSport can't be duplicated or at least not in French.

Canal+ through its stake in MultiChoice distributes Premier League and La Liga as part of an Add-On, DStv English Plus. Maybe Football Plus Canal+ will form part of the offering if not replace the latter but from what I recall the SuperSport feeds seen within Francophone Africa are the same ones on DStv.

SuperSport Football Plus could become the first channel amongst SuperSport to get the corporate treatment - Canal+. If anything, it does lead us to wonder whether the rest of SuperSport's offering will fold under the Canal+ Sport branding.

MultiChoice will effectively belong to a French company if the transaction gets approved so local content and sports would be structured to their liking. Let's remember, Canal+ wants to expand StudioCanal's operations through MultiChoice which could lead to the dying down of the M-Net trademark.

MultiChoice is viewing this transaction is a bid to bulk up against Netflix and one way that could all play out is having some of their assets getting the Canal+ imprint. When Disney acquired FOX, some of its assets did get the corporate imprint same with Warner whose factual offering folded under Discovery.

SuperSport Schools And SABC Sport Announce New Partnership To Expand Youth Sports In South Africa

In a move set to positively influence the landscape of school sports in South Africa, SuperSport Schools, the premier streaming and broadcast platform for schools and youth sports broadcasting, and SABC Sport, a division of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), are excited to announce yet another joint initiative in the growing partnerships between the public broadcaster and SuperSport.

The collaboration will see the launch of a fully curated SuperSport Schools channel on the SABC+ streaming platform, complementing the access South Africans already have to high-quality schools and youth sport, including football, netball, rugby, athletics, hockey and basketball.

The SuperSport Schools streaming channel on SABC+ will carry a selection of content from SuperSport Schools that filmed over 60 000 school matches in 2024 across a variety of sports disciplines.

The channel will showcase a diverse range of schools and youth sport, including football, netball, rugby, athletics, hockey and basketball.

SuperSport Schools has more than a million registered users with some of the content that has been available on it now getting a second window on SABC+.

Rendani Ramovha, SuperSport CEO, says "We want to encourage participation in sports at a grassroots level and reignite interest in sports across all schools in the country. Both SuperSport and the SABC share a common vision of providing young athletes with a platform to shine and inspiring future generations of sportsmen and women".

Nomsa Chabeli, SABC CEO, in a prepared quote, states "We are proud to be part of this life-changing partnership that extends beyond the fulfilment of the SABC’s mandate, by offering South Africans from all walks of life, a platform that nurtures young talent and provides unparalleled opportunities for personal and professional development".

"This partnership allows the SuperSport Schools channel to be accessible on the SABC+ streaming platform, enabling rising stars to gain recognition in the early stages of their lives, which will lead to more opportunities in the future.”

Thandolwethu Bakumeni, head of SuperSport Schools, says "We are thrilled that the SABC is joining us in the promotion of schools' sport".

"This partnership aligns perfectly with our mission to nurture young talent and make schools and youth sports a key part of South Africa’s cultural fabric.  After all, World Cups are won 10 years before they are played.”

 

Keletso Totlhanyo, head of SABC Sport, says "SABC Sport is dedicated to providing our viewers with the best local sports content, and this new venture with SuperSport Schools will allow us to bring even more exciting and inspirational content to South African homes".

The curated content on the SABC Schools streaming channel on SABC+ will focus on some of the popular and significant sports in South Africa, including football, netball, rugby, athletics, hockey, and basketball.

ICYMI: SuperSport Schools Was Apparently Set To Launch On SABC+ But That Got Delayed

As reported sometime ago, SuperSport Schools was set to announce a new partnership with the SABC but not giving too much notice put up a teaser. It didn't stop consumers to recognise the public broadcaster's through the letters and font incased in the picture with SuperSport Schools remaining hush.

The following day, this teaser was removed from their social platforms which left to some to wonder what was happening with this major announcement. It was confirmed that it got delayed and it's still not clear when we'll get clarity on this but I assume within February or before the end of March.

Of course, this didn't stop readers from snooping around and if you browse MultiChoice's corporate website the cat was kind of out the bag. SuperSport Schools is looking to extend its reach to SABC+, best part the streamer doesn't come with a monthly subscription.

SuperSport Schools had a dedicated app and YouTube channel so the only expense there as seen with SABC+ was data costs. This news doesn't surprise me as SABC had licensed numerous sporting events from SuperSport over the years (including Racing240) so it was only a matter of time.

If anything, it kind of begs the question with SABC looking to launch a decoder will SuperSport Schools perhaps form part of this offering alongside SABC 1-3, SABC Lehae, SABC Sports, SABC Variety and SABC Education. Another would be whether eMedia Investments could explore adding SuperSport Schools for consumers in Openview.

They already have The Home Channel+ and Zee One which are based on The Home Channel and Zee World offering on DStv or could select content from SuperSport Schools form part of the SABC. I mean the SABC had licensed content from SuperSport over the years so why should SuperSport Schools be any different.

SuperSport Schools Teasing Something Regarding The SABC

SuperSport Schools is a youth based sports brand operated by SuperSport, a division of MultiChoice following the acquisition of School Sports Live. Since it's inception, the brand had garnered a lot of traction offering a variety of sporting content ranging from football, netball, swimming and rugby.

Not long ago, the broadcaster had teased "Something Big Is Coming" and we can only guess by the font and letters incased in the picture that it relates to SABC. I mean a partnership with the SABC shouldn't come as a surprise as the broadcaster had been having on/off relationship regarding sporting rights.

With MultiChoice and SABC that have settled their disputes regarding sporting rights although remain silent on the conditions one has to wonder if SuperSport Schools was likely attached to this deal.

KykNet recently launched a news segment known as SuperSkole Sport and we can only assume that SABC forged a similar deal. SuperSport Schools could as well be launching a news segment under the SABC or better yet a block of some sort similar to BBC Primetime either on SABC 1-3 and Sport.

If there's one thing I find depressing about this deal is that Easyview consumers have to depend on public stations for weekly football matches and now SuperSport Schools. A similar thing with WildEarth as People's Weather (now People's Planet) distributed SafariLIVE only for that to get yanked and WildEarth offered as consolation.

Update: The announcement had been delayed until further notice 

MultiChoice And SABC Settle Dispute With eMedia Investments Regarding Sports

As some have already read, eExtra alongside eMedia's other Openview channels such as eMovies, eMovies Extra and eToonz won't be exiting DStv anytime soon as MultiChoice and eMedia Investments have come to an agreement. Although, the finer details of this transaction have yet to be known by the media.

Another topic that was addressed within eMedia Investments annual results for 30 September 2024 was the matter of the Rugby World Cup. This was something eMedia Investments had been battling to get onto Openview after MultiChoice denied other platforms aside from that of SABC's DTT the right to view the content.

This led SABC to change transmission for these channels once these games come on through platforms outside SABC's DTT and DStv which is what prompted this battle. MultiChoice accused eMedia Investments of free riding and wanting to broadcast the content without paying a cent.

eMedia Investments had pitched a sum in which MultiChoice deemed too low and from what other sources mention SABC's bid was a lot higher. It took local legislation to pressure these broadcasters into reaching an agreement which saw these games getting reduced even further.

When MultiChoice blocked other platforms from getting rugby it was so that SABC could pay less and get the bulk of content associated with a free-to-air broadcaster. Then after eMedia Investments came into the picture it has been theorised that MultiChoice had to reduce the amount of games given to the SABC.

Now all three parties have settled the matter of course it's not really known how they managed to settle the matter but it isn't something that they can keep secretive forever. MultiChoice has been in such disputes with both parties several times and this isn't something you'd expect to go away that easily.

MultiChoice Teasing Something Regarding To M-Net 101 And SuperSport For DStv Compact Consumers

As some users had already seen on DStv's social platforms, the pay-tv platform had begun teasing something new for their Compact consumers in November using the hashtag #GetMoreWithDStv. If you look at the teaser below Dune: Prophecy and HBO's Penguin has been spotted alongside SA Cricket.

Kukhulu this November on DStv Compact. 🤩 Stay Connected to #GetMoreWithDStv. 🎁 pic.twitter.com/GaYcvuAyW7

— DStv (@DStv) October 21, 2024

After MultiChoice and M-Net decided to axe/merge both Me and 1Magic to form 1Max consumers on Compact have been left with no alternative options to access the content on DStv. This has led to an onslaught of angry consumers wondering how they'll view content like The Block or Why Women Kill.

With M-Net likely being spotted in this promo, we could only assume that MultiChoice is giving Compact consumers an open window to the channel (if not permanent) as Dune: Prophecy is slated to rollout on the channel in that month. Another would be a possible extension of M-Net's Open Time which takes up half an hour on the platform.

Like we mentioned, MultiChoice had axed Me and I get it all the focus is going to Showmax and Netflix controls how you view TV but DStv still has competition i.e. Openview. Despite offering older seasons to shows like The Voice and 9-1-1, this is currently the only other way DStv consumers without Showmax can access the content.

So why pay for something others can get for free??? All in all this teaser involves M-Net 101

As for SA Cricket, this is something MultiChoice televises on SuperSport Cricket or SuperSport Variety 2 so I can only assume one of the two are going to DStv Compact likely Variety. MultiChoice Africa had merged what we know as Variety 2 onto SuperSport Action during the month.

Then again, SuperSport La Liga is scheduled to air 1 rebroadcast of SA Cricket so I doubt it's that especially with the amount of publicity they're giving this promotion. It would have to be something more meaningful and what better way then the possible extension of Variety 2 to DStv Compact.

Interesting to note, Disney Channel is also said to be undergoing changes in the month of November similar to that of TLC and Nickelodeon. This saw the feed within South Africa divided from MultiChoice's operations in other countries it's what led to a delay in Disney Channel's November highlights in parts of Europe.

How DStv Easyview Tries To Compete With Openview When It Comes To Sports?

Despite MultiChoice attempts to lure consumers to their most cheapest package this has proven to challenging as Openview has over 20 channels which incorporate telenovelas, movies, reality shows and drama series. Easyview is still reliant on provincial and news brands despite the inclusion of TNT and Real Time.

One of the main factors that drive people away from Easyview would be sports as eMedia Investments distribute SABC Sport on Openview and all Easyview has got is Blitz their news channel. One could as well establish that Blitz is superior for its news coverage for which SABC Sport lacks but from a consumers perspective live sports is a necessity.

Openview draws over 3 million households of course when it comes to viewership particularly sports it is estimated to reach 50000-100000 viewers and although MultiChoice hasn't mentioned Easyview consumer numbers their lower mass market which include Access and Family amount to 4 million.

When it comes to sports, MultiChoice injects a lot of funding there which is the main factor to the inflation rates on the Premium to Access packages. If or when MultiChoice decides to offer sports on the Easyview package full-time they'd be various challenges awaiting them one would be keeping the rates intact.

DStv Easyview was R39 per month before it dropped to R29 as MultiChoice was struggling to retain consumers and part of the blame went to Openview. As mentioned, despite the package seeing an increase in content is under threat and although being the most affordable it isn't the most attractive of packages.

One way Easyview is able to give a channel like SABC Sport a run for their money would be provincial stations. Despite being the reliant on when it comes to premium entertainment has seen a number of events under their wing including DStv Diski Challenge, World Wrestling Professionals RPT and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

During certain sporting events, SuperSport either launches a dedicated TV channel or temporarily opens up an existing channel to their consumers.

Heck even the movie channel TNT had opted to offer sports with the inclusion of wrestling promotion, All Elite Wrestling. If anything, I think the only other way MultiChoice can help Easyview compete even further with SABC Sport is by licensing some of its content from SuperSport to Magic Showcase. 

Magic Showcase broadcasts 16-18 hours a day and one way they could help extend those hours would be the inclusion of sporting event like Betway Premiership and compliment this with Jambo WWE. The content would broadcast on Magic Showcase weekly and could as well help them minimize costs.