The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has confirmed that it has secured the rights to broadcast Africa’s multinational soccer competition, Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), following the failure of Supersport to do so a few days ago.
The Total Energies AFCON 2023 contract, which comes with commercial rights that will boost the public broadcasters’ revenue, will allow households and individuals without access to the DSTV sports bouquet the privilege to watch the exhilarating soccer matches.
“The SABC team is happy to have made all these great sports activities available to the South African public and would like to express its gratitude to the rights holders, New World Media, and all the relevant stakeholders who worked tirelessly to ensure the fruition of this process,” stated SABC’s Chief Operations Officer, Ian Plaatjes.
According to the SABC Group Communications, the public broadcaster will be the only one with the rights to broadcast the Afcon matches.
“Total Energies AFCON 2023 is a highly anticipated sports spectacle that will take place in Ivory Coast from 13 January 2024 until 11 February 2024 and will be only available on the SABC channels across all broadcasting platforms in South Africa. With the local PSL season taking a break for the next six weeks, SABC Sport will be offering its audiences and commercial partners the live experience of all 52 matches of AFCON 2023, in which the South African national team, our own Bafana Bafana will also be participating.
“In addition, SABC Sport has also acquired the live matches to the rest of the CAF events, which includes all 150 matches of the AFCON 2025 qualifiers, all the 32 matches of CAF CHAN 2024, all matches of CAF Champions League 2023/24, all matches of CAF Confederations Cup 2023/24, all the matches of CAF Africa Women Cup of Nations 2024, all matches of CAF Women’s Champions League 2024 and all the matches of CAF Super Cup 2024. These acquisitions put football lovers and commercial partners in the prime position to experience the world’s biggest football events exclusively on SABC channels, making this great content available to all South Africans for free and with no uncompetitive platform blockages,” stated the SABC.
The broadcaster added that SABC Sport has put together an intense content schedule to ensure everyone has a front-row SABC action from the Ivory Coast Total Energies AFCON 2023.
“Over and above all the 52 matches being live only on the SABC TV channels, radio stations, and digital platforms, viewers will be treated to a daily Total Energies AFCON 2023 Preview and Total Energies AFCON 2023 Review shows that will showcase all the upcoming matches of the day, review all the latest updates, goals, and news from each day’s full matches. Each match will be delivered with a studio build-up and wrap comprising of the expert analysis from the leading on-air talent of SABC Sport.
“In its promise of making all world-class events available to all South Africans with no barrier or cost to entry, the SABC will broadcast all the AFCON 2023 matches live on SABC 1, SABC 3, SABC Sport Channel and SABC radio stations, Radio 2000, RSG, Umhlobo Wenene FM, Ukhozi FM, Lesedi FM, Motsweding FM, Thobela FM, Phalaphala FM, Munghana Lonene FM, Ikwekwezi FM, Ligwalagwala FM and TRUFM in the language of choice to audiences,” stated the SABC. “In addition, SABC Plus and sabcsport.com will offer free live streaming of all the 52 games, while also offering a free catch-up service for those that may have missed the live action. SABC Sport social pages on Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter) will offer audiences live commentary of every single unmissable moment from every single one of the 52 live matches of AFCON 2023.”
The SABC has also wished the national soccer squad, Bafana Bafana, well in the competition.
In a statement released this week, Multichoice stated that it had failed to secure the rights for its Supersport channel to broadcast the matches.
