The broadcasters have been in an ongoing battle over sports broadcasting rights, including live matches featuring the Springboks and the Proteas.<\/p>\n
MultiChoice holds exclusive rights to broadcast such events.<\/p>\n
“It is wrong. 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,” said McKenzie.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
He described his words as a “friendly warning”, but said he was prepared to “go to war” with the broadcasters to enable poorer South Africans to watch these matches.<\/p>\n
“There exists legislation which has never been used, that prevents them from engaging in the current action that they are engaging in,” said McKenzie.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
“I will make sure that South Africans can all watch,” he added.<\/p>\n
MultiChoice’s SuperSport has exclusive broadcasting rights to a wide range of sports events, including those featuring national teams.<\/p>\n
A major concern is that it effectively prevents poorer residents from viewing live matches in which national teams participate as full SuperSport access is limited to DStv Premium subscribers.<\/p>\n
For reference, DStv’s satellite-based Premium package currently costs R929 per month, while the streaming-only subscription costs R799.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Springboks-team-facing-Ireland.jpg\")
South Africa’s national rugby team, The Springboks, recently faced Ireland in a two-match inbound tour<\/p><\/div>\n
The broadcasters have locked horns over the rights to air various live rugby and cricket matches featuring South Africa’s national teams.<\/p>\n
Most recently, DStv owner MultiChoice rejected eMedia’s offer for the rights to broadcast the Springbok rugby test matches against Ireland<\/a> on Openview.<\/p>\n It said eMedia’s offer was too low.<\/p>\n Curiously, its announcement came shortly after eMedia released a statement declaring the opposite.<\/p>\n “eMedia made a significant financial offer to MultiChoice to broadcast the Irish rugby Pretoria and Durban test matches, which MultiChoice inexplicably rejected,” it said.<\/p>\n Its statement came in response to the South African Rugby Union (Saru) pointing fingers at eMedia as the villain in the fiasco.<\/p>\n Saru’s accusation came after the SABC announced it would no longer air the matches<\/a>.<\/p>\n The public broadcaster said the decision followed the recent urgent litigation at the Competition Appeal Court over the broadcast rights to test matches.<\/p>\n