End of DStv’s sports monopoly

MultiChoice’s DStv, through SuperSport, has monopolised live sports in South Africa for several years, but sports minister Gayton McKenzie wants it to end.

The minister says he is prepared to “go to war” against the broadcasters if they are unable to reach a resolution that would allow all South Africans to watch their national sports teams.

eMedia and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) have been battling MultiChoice’s sports rights exclusivity, including live matches featuring the national rugby and cricket teams.

The pay-TV broadcaster holds exclusive rights to broadcast these events.

In a media briefing on 18 July, McKenzie issued a “friendly warning” to the broadcasters, saying it is wrong that one broadcaster can decide who has access to events featuring the country’s national teams.

“The national team doesn’t belong to MultiChoice or SABC or E-tv. None of them should act like the national team belongs to them,” the minister stated.

“I’m not going to be an enabler of the majority of our people not being able to watch the national rugby team or soccer team.”

While he described his words as a friendly warning, the minister said he would go to war with the broadcasters if it means more South Africans will be able to watch their national sports teams.

“There exists legislation — which has never been used — that prevents them from engaging in the current action that they are engaging in,” said McKenzie.

“I intend to fully use that legislation. We are meeting with them. As we say we come in peace, but if they want war, they will get war.”

“I will make sure that South Africans can all watch,” he added.

McKenzie’s words highlight one of the major concerns surrounding MultiChoice’s exclusive broadcasting rights for various sporting events: the unaffordability of its DStv packages for many South Africans.

While some SuperSport channels are available on low-tier DStv subscriptions, access to the full range of SuperSport channels is exclusive to the top-tier DStv Premium, which currently costs R929 for satellite viewers and R799 for its streaming viewers.

The pricing puts access to these channels out of the reach of much of the South African public.

Recently, eMedia, the SABC, and MultiChoice have been at loggerheads over the rights to broadcast various live rugby and cricket matches featuring the Springboks and the Proteas.

In July 2024, MultiChoice rejected E-tv owner eMedia’s offer for the rights to broadcast Springbok rugby test matches against Ireland on Openview. The DStv owner said the offer was too low.

The rejection came just after eMedia had declared the opposite.

“eMedia made a significant financial offer to MultiChoice to broadcast the Irish rugby Pretoria and Durban test matches, which MultiChoice inexplicably rejected,” it said.

eMedia also complained that MultiChoice had only opened a tender for free-to-air broadcasters to bid for sub-licensing rights a little over a month before the tournament commenced.

It said the late posting of the tender meant bidders likely wouldn’t receive confirmation until less than two weeks before kick off.

“eMedia views the issuing of these late invitations to tender by MultiChoice as undermining fair competition and ignoring a recent Competition Tribunal order designed to prevent such restrictive practices,” it said.

The broadcaster also issued a statement rejecting the South African Rugby Union (Saru) making it out as the villain in the back-and-forth exchange.

Saru spoke up after the SABC revealed that it wouldn’t broadcast the matches, following urgent litigation at the Competition Appeal Court over the rights.

The SABC didn’t provide details, but it is likely that it was referring to eMedia and MultiChoice’s fight over the sub-licensing fee for free-to-air sports broadcasting rights.

eMedia had obtained an interdict against MultiChoice preventing the pay-TV operator from enacting provisions in sub-licensing contracts that blocked the SABC from broadcasting matches on channels it provides to Openview.