DStv received a “friendly warning” from South Africa’s new sports minister recently over broadcasting rights in the country.
The new sports minister, Gayton McKenzie, said it doesn’t make sense that rights to broadcast games played by the country’s national team are owned by a private company that charges South Africans to watch their teams play.
MultiChoice, which owns DStv, currently holds exclusive rights to broadcast the sports events. However, the broadcasting rights SA have been fought over by Multichoice, SABC and eMedia in an ongoing feud.
Said Mackenzie during a press event:
“It’s an indictment. It is wrong. The national team doesn’t belong to MultiChoice or SABC or E-tv. It doesn’t belong to them. None of them should act like the national team belongs to them. None of them.
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. There exists legislation, which has never been used that prevents them from engaging in the current action they are engaging in. 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. Because I will make sure South Africans must all watch…
So I’m saying to them, this is a very friendly warning. Fix this thing before we declare war. For the poor, we will declare war.
Broadcasted through its DStv SuperSport channels, Multichoice has rights to many sports events in South Africa and the continent. The most entertaining sports events are however part of the most expensive bouquets – Premium, Compact Plus and Compact, starting at $30 a month in Zimbabwe.
Many people in South Africa, Zimbabwe and the neighbouring countries who cannot afford these expensive DStv packages rely on OpenView which does not charge monthly subscriptions. OpenView is owned by eMedia.
Recently, MultiChoice rejected eMedia’s offer for the rights to broadcast a rugby test matches between South Africa and Ireland on Openview. The company argued that the offer was too low. Media however countered this claim, saying “eMedia made a significant financial offer to MultiChoice to broadcast the Irish rugby Pretoria and Durban test matches, which MultiChoice inexplicably rejected”
Multichoice has in the past been able to come to agreements with SABC to broadcast some rugby and cricket matches. However these deals have had strict conditions imposed on SABC to not broadcast them on channels that show on OpenView.
Such disagreements are apparently the reason the new sports minister is warning the media companies. If Mackenzie succeeds, Zimbabweans, Zambians, Mozambicans, Malawians, Tswanas and others in the region, will be able to watch some sports games they previously couldn’t access, for free on OpenWiew.
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