Renewal of SARU and CANAL+ Rights
SA Rugby and the CANAL+ Group, the parent company of the MultiChoice Group, have successfully renewed their long-standing domestic broadcasting rights agreement.
The revised agreement ensures that SuperSport, Africa’s leading sports broadcaster, will continue as the exclusive official rights holder for all SA Rugby domestic competitions, including Springbok Women’s and junior matches, across Sub-Saharan Africa.
This is the first agreement of its kind between a significant local sports federation and the CANAL+ Group since their collaboration with MultiChoice commenced in September of the previous year, highlighting CANAL+’s ongoing commitment to supporting local sports. SuperSport has proudly been a broadcast partner of SA Rugby for more than three decades.
SA Rugby president Mark Alexander remarked: “We are excited to have completed our initial agreement with MultiChoice Group and CANAL+ Group after extensive discussions. They have demonstrated a shared appreciation for the importance of rugby to the South African community, and we see this as just the start of many similar agreements.”
CANAL+ Africa CEO David Mignot shared his enthusiasm about renewing the domestic rights agreement, assuring that all domestic rugby games will be available exclusively on SuperSport. In South Africa, CANAL+ Africa provides SuperSport channels to MultiChoice (Pty) Ltd, which supplies the DStv service to its subscribers.
“As part of our commitment, we are increasing our investment in local content, especially in sports that resonate with audiences across the continent. Rugby has become an integral part of South African culture, as demonstrated by the unified excitement every time the Springboks achieve victory in the Rugby World Cup,” Mignot stated.
SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer added: “Broadcasting rights are vital for the health and sustainability of sports in South Africa, and rugby is no exception. SuperSport has been a long-standing and dependable partner of South African rugby, and we are enthusiastic about continuing this collaboration.”
“The landscape of rugby and broadcasting has significantly changed since our initial agreement in the 1990s, but the lasting nature of our partnership reflects our shared interests.”
Rendani Ramovha, CANAL+ Director for Sports Content in English and Portuguese-speaking Africa, remarked: “Renewing the domestic broadcast agreement not only strengthens our well-established partnership with SA Rugby but also benefits DStv viewers and subscribers who depend on us for premium sports content delivered with excellent broadcast quality.”
“Continuing to meet that expectation is a significant achievement for us, reaffirming our dedication to sports fans. We appreciate the collaborative spirit of our partners at SA Rugby.”
