South Africa’s flanker Siya Kolisi (C-R) greets Mark Alexander (C-L), South African Rugby Union (SARU) president, during the South Africa Rugby World Cup squad announcement in Johannesburg on 8 August 2023. (PHILL MAGAKOE / AFP)
- SA Rugby supports the SABC’s decision to suspend broadcasting the Springboks’ matches against Ireland due to a rights dispute.
- The dispute involves a Competition Tribunal order allowing eMedia to broadcast on Openview without compensating the SABC, impacting rugby’s financial sustainability.
- SARU criticised eMedia for broadcasting sports without financial support, potentially harming rugby’s development and elite programmes.
- For more news on the Springboks, visit our dedicated section.
SA Rugby (SARU) has backed the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) decision to halt its planned broadcast of the Springboks’ matches against Ireland.
READ | SABC’s last-minute U-turn on broadcast of Springbok Tests against Ireland
SARU president Mark Alexander emphasised that although the union desires Bok matches to be aired on the national broadcaster, this temporary suspension is essential for the sport’s long-term sustainability.
At the centre of this dispute is a recent Competition Tribunal order allowing eMedia to broadcast SABC’s coverage of Springbok matches on its Openview platform without compensating the SABC, which had already paid SuperSport for the broadcasting rights.
“This may appear to be a minor and obscure issue to the general public, but it is critically important to the Springboks and the future of rugby in South Africa, affecting not just the broadcasters but the sport itself,” Alexander said in a statement on Thursday.
He warned that extending the six-month order would severely undermine the financial model supporting South African rugby, which has been key to producing consecutive Rugby World Cup-winning teams.
ALSO READ | Gayton McKenzie ‘angered’ over Tests blackout on SABC: ‘Share the Springbok joy’
Alexander clarified that SuperSport and the SABC had a legitimate agreement to broadcast the highly anticipated series against Ireland.
“To be clear, this is not a conflict between SuperSport and the SABC – they had a contract in place to broadcast the matches based on appropriate commercial terms,” he said.
Alexander explained that eMedia’s demand to broadcast the rugby on OVHD without financial contribution disrupted this agreement.
“eMedia’s attempts to end exclusivity in sports broadcasting rights would drastically reduce rights fees, ultimately harming the sport the most.
“This would have severe implications for our programmes, from grassroots development to the elite level of the back-to-back Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks,” Alexander added.
Despite the significant impact of the Tribunal’s order on SARU’s sustainability, Alexander revealed that SARU was not invited to participate in the proceedings.
He criticised eMedia, a well-funded private company, for seeking to broadcast sport without contributing to its development.
“eMedia pays to create television content and purchases content from filmmakers and other broadcasters. It is absurd that they should be allowed to broadcast sport without supporting it financially.”
SARU is now seeking legal advice regarding the Tribunal’s order as it continues to navigate this complex broadcasting dispute.