In a win for rugby supporters in South Africa, the SABC and SuperSport have reached a compromise on the coverage of the upcoming World Cup.
According to a statement released by MultiChoice on Thursday, the SABC will broadcast 16 matches in total, including the opening ceremony and opening match, as well all four Springbok group matches plus two quarter-finals, one semi-final, the bronze final, the final and the closing ceremony.
Those matches will potentially feature the Boks, the defending champions. However, should Siya Kolisi and his men not qualify for the knockout stages, the above matches will still be available for broadcast.
“We are pleased to have reached an arrangement with the SABC in the spirit of cooperation,” said MultiChoice SA CEO Marc Jury.
“MultiChoice can confirm that, following acceptance by the SABC of a proposal made by MultiChoice on 18 August 2023, it has reached an agreement in principle to sub-licence broadcast rights to the SABC for Rugby World Cup 2023.”
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Earlier this week it had been confirmed that the SABC would not be broadcasting the 2023 World Cup, after SuperSport announced a failure to reach an agreement with the SABC for the sub-licensing of broadcast rights to the highly-anticipated tournament, which gets underway with a clash between hosts France and New Zealand on Friday.
This is despite months of negotiations and multiple allegedly reasonable proposals put forward by SuperSport, all of which were rejected by the SABC.
The Boks kick off their quest to retain the Webb Ellis Cup against Scotland in Marseille on Sunday.
Photo: @Springboks/Twitter