Bad news: SABC won’t be broadcasting the 2023 Rugby World Cup (but there’s still hope)

We’ve got some bad news, rugby fans. Despite months of attempting to come to some sort of understanding, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and SuperSport were unable to land on an agreement for this year’s Rugby World Cup sub-licensing rights.

If that’s all gibberish to you, it means SABC won’t be broadcasting the 2023 Rugby World Cup on any of its channels, leaving SuperSport as the tournament’s sole provider in South Africa. That means you’ll need a rather pricey DStv subscription to gain access to channel 201. That might extend to Showmax, MultiChoice’s home-grown streaming service that has hosted events of a larger magnitude in the past, though no official announcements have yet been made on that front.

SABC vs SuperSport

The news comes just days before the 2023 Rugby World Cup tournament is set to kick off, with the first match taking place on Friday, 8 September as France, the host nation, attempts to claim victory over New Zealand. The Springboks won’t get on the pitch until Sunday, 10 September at 17:45.

In a statement released on Saturday (via News24), the channel said, “SuperSport is disappointed that it has not reached an agreement with the SABC for the sub-licensing of broadcast rights to the 2023 Rugby World Cup despite SuperSport having made various proposals to the SABC on reasonable commercial terms.”

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What those proposals looked like, however, we’ll never know. On one hand, you’ve got SuperSport claiming that the proposals were all made in good faith, closely resembling deals made by the two entities in the past for similar events.

“SuperSport has approached these discussions in good faith, reflecting its genuine commitment to the Nations’s rugby enthusiasts. It has used its best efforts to conclude a fair and commercially viable agreement. Regrettably, all proposals made by SuperSport have been declined by the SABC.”

Concerned parent Zizi Kodwa speaks up

Neither SuperSport nor the SABC has gone into any specifics where money is concerned, though with the SABC’s track record, the issue most likely involves money — or rather a lack of it.

Like a disappointed father, Department of Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa urged the SABC to come to an agreement with SuperSport, to “fulfil its mandate to cover sport of national interest.”

“I am concerned at how millions of South Africans may be unable to watch the Rugby World Cup should the SABC not be able to broadcast matches in the tournament. My commitment is to give South Africans access to all sports codes,” said Kodwa. “I am hopeful that an agreement will be reached between SABC and Supersport. Rugby plays a critical role in nation building and social cohesion. It is important that millions of South African[s] can watch the Springboks continuing to lift the nation at the Rugby World Cup.”

Whatever happens, whether you’re watching from South Africa’s broadcaster or from DStv’s lofty subscription package, it won’t be in 4K.

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