After years of betrayal, the SABC is finally forced to include Openview in their English Premier League broadcast deal, but is it too little, too late?
In a stunning move, the SABC has caved to pressure and acquired the free-to-air rights to 33 live EPL matches through SABC Sport, with SABC 3, the SABC Sport website and SABC+ also set to broadcast the games live. But in a bitter pill, the broadcaster has also reluctantly agreed to include Openview, eMedia’s digital TV platform, in the deal.
The bone of contention between South Africa’s broadcasters, and a major point of controversy, has been the exclusion of Openview from sports sublicensing deals between the SABC and MultiChoice Group subsidiary SuperSport. And it seems the SABC has finally realized that they cannot continue to neglect Openview without facing a backlash.
“We’ve been forced to include Openview in the deal, but we’re still not convinced that it’s a fair and equitable solution for all parties involved,” said a sour-faced Keletso Totlhanyo, the broadcaster’s head of sport. “But we’ve been threatened with legal action, so we’ve decided to cut our losses and include Openview in the broadcast deal.
The first game to be broadcast by the SABC will be Arsenal vs Wolverhampton on 17 August, and all live matches will include a live studio build-up, with match previews and team news, presented by SABC Sport anchors and analysts on both TV and digital platforms. But the question on everyone’s mind is: is it too little, too late for the SABC to redeem themselves in the eyes of Openview?
Arsenal vs Wolverhampton
The SABC acquired the free-to-air rights directly from main rightsholder Infront Sports and Media, a Swedish company whose media rights portfolio includes the World Athletics Championship, various European basketball leagues and the ESerie A e-sports league. And with this deal, the SABC is sending a strong message that they will not be ignored in the world of sports broadcasting.
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