The SABC thinks the sporting broadcasters and organisers in the country need a stern talking to. By that we mean they’re taking them to court. The national broadcaster has filed an anticompetitive complaint against SuperSport for “exclusionary behaviour”, in the hopes it is fined, according to a TechCentral report.
The SABC is out for money blood
According to that report, the SABC is motivated by its belief that SuperSport has abused its influence with regards to sports broadcasting. This has made things difficult for the broadcaster and its own standalone sports channel, SABC Sports. Which, it argues, goes against the Competition Act.
In this case, the abuse of influence the complaint refers to is specifically regarding SuperSport’s sub-licensing restrictions. These restrictions prevent the government-run broadcaster from broadcasting sub-licenced content on its own channels.
Read More: The ANC wants to halt exclusive sports broadcast deals, let SABC show matches for free
But the SABC isn’t just stopping at SuperSport. Several local sports organisations have also come under fire. These include SA Rugby, the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and other local soccer clubs. In these cases, the SABC takes particular issue with the broadcasting of PSL games and games involving the national sporting teams.
The SABC head of communications and stakeholder relations, Ndileka Cola, confirmed that the complaint had been lodged but declined to make any further public comments.
Karma…?
This move by the SABC seems oddly familiar. Where have we seen a local body attempt to roadblock competition by trying to slap it with fines? Oh, thats right, that’s what Multichoice is trying to do as it loses its footing to global streaming giants. Funny how things work out sometimes.