South African soccer fans might be feeling a little bewildered after the misinformation campaigns that characterised the fallout over the recently announced billion-rand Premier Soccer League (PSL) broadcasting-rights deal.
But the fact of the matter is that local soccer has never been healthier financially and, if anything, there will be more live soccer on free-to-air television than ever before.
Ultimately, the recently announced broadcasting deal is a sign that South African soccer’s administrators have realised that their product is worth a lot more than the R67-million a year that the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has forked out for it in the past five years and have taken a decision to fight for its true worth.
This is good news for South African soccer clubs which, it is estimated, will see their monthly grants from the PSL increase by more than 100%, to just short of R1-million, allowing them to invest in their players, youth academies, stadiums and other structures.
It is more good news for the clubs and their fans, who will now have access to 150 PSL matches on free-to-air television, which is 50 games more than were broadcast on the SABC last year, and the other 100 or so matches will be broadcast on SuperSport.
However, the PSL will benefit by what some industry players are predicting will be a more professional broadcast package that SuperSport will deliver to 48 countries on the African continent.
In the past, soccer has played the role of poor cousin to sports like rugby and cricket, which were seen as establishment sports under the apartheid regime.
But this deal, reported to be worth R1,6-billion, has taken soccer straight to the top of the pile, with Supersport confirming that it is the most substantial deal in South African sporting history.
Industry players argue that previously the PSL had not understood the true value of the rights and that with the build-up to the 2010 World Cup, it was determined to maximise the value of the league.
Future of football
PSL chairperson Irvin Khoza said the SuperSport deal was about securing the future of South African football and confirmed that unsuccessful rival bids from e.tv and Telkom Media had exceeded the R1-billion mark.
SuperSport chief executive Imtiaz Patel has stated already that securing the rights to PSL soccer was crucial to its growth strategy. The pay-TV operator is going after the emerging black middle-class market with its DStv Compact offering, priced at R200 a month.
Telkom Media and e.tv confirmed that they would investigate sub-licensing rights from SuperSport.
Industry players say that as South Africa moves into a highly competitive, multiplatform broadcasting market, sports rights are going to become more valuable and the fight to secure them more intense.
International trends show that with teleÂvision content now able to be broadcast on free-to-air, satellite, mobile and broadband platforms, there are many more players willing to reach into their pockets for sports broadcasting rights.
This means that deals where rights are sold lock, stock and barrel for one lump sum are becoming dated and deals that split the rights to coverage between operators are more common.
Analysts argue that the PSL has realised that a more “holistic approach” to soccer broadcasting is needed and that it is important to place responsibilities upon the successful broadcaster to ensure that the league is marketed correctly and the quality of broadcasts are professional.
Ashraf Garda, an SAfm sports presenter and CEO of sports sponsorship company Boundary Breakers, says the deal is “hugely significant” for local soccer and in line with South African soccer’s “coming of age” in the build-up to the 2010 World Cup that has seen increased interest from big business such as MTN and Vodacom.
He says that all of the increased funding that is being ploughed into local soccer is going to ensure that a day out at the football stadium can be a memorable experience for all.