Motsepe Foundation Championship Loses Live TV Slot
The “pear-shaped” trajectory of local football broadcasting hit a new low this week as SuperSport TV confirmed the Motsepe Foundation Championship (MFC) show will no longer be broadcast live.
MultiChoice, which was taken over by French media giant Canal+ in September last year, has implemented several changes over the past year.
One of these affects the Motsepe Foundation Championship (MFC) show, which will now be produced in a podcast format, although it will still be aired on SuperSport.
This development is a significant blow to the Motsepe Foundation Championship as a product, especially as the Premier Soccer League has struggled to secure sponsorship and attract viewership for the competition.
The decision was reportedly driven by declining viewership numbers for the show.
The live broadcast aired last week was the final one, with future editions set to be released as a podcast.
Back in 2022, SuperSport also scrapped vernacular commentators from live match broadcasts. These commentators now provide coverage from SuperSport studios, rather than at the stadium. They are only deployed on-site for major fixtures such as the Soweto Derby between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, as well as cup semi-finals and finals.
However, in rugby, Afrikaans and Xhosa commentators are still allowed to operate from match venues—an inconsistency that raises questions, particularly given football’s large following in South Africa.
These developments come as no surprise, as MultiChoice undergoes a major restructuring process linked to Canal+’s acquisition of the business.
Canal+ was required to make a mandatory offer after surpassing the 35% shareholding threshold stipulated in South African law. Following negotiations with the MultiChoice board and a dispute with regulators, Canal+ offered R125 per share for the remaining stock, valuing the company at approximately R55 billion.
The acquisition initially faced hurdles related to Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) requirements and restrictions on foreign ownership of local broadcasters. To comply, Canal+ and MultiChoice proposed a complex restructuring that would separate the South African entity into a new, independently controlled unit majority-owned by historically disadvantaged groups.
Meanwhile, DStv has been grappling with declining subscriber numbers and revenue. Many viewers in South Africa and across sub-Saharan Africa have grown frustrated with repetitive content, while the rise of international streaming platforms has intensified competition.
Subscriber numbers dropped from 17.3 million in March 2023 to 14.5 million by March 2025, with the loss of Premium subscribers proving particularly damaging.
Revenue has also declined from R59.1 billion to R50.8 billion, while trading profit has fallen sharply by 60%—from R10 billion to R4 billion.
Although Canal+ has yet to outline a detailed turnaround strategy, it has indicated a renewed focus on core entertainment offerings. This marks a shift away from MultiChoice’s previous diversification strategy under former CEO Calvo Mawela.
Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada and Canal+ Africa CEO David Mignot have also promised an expanded content slate that leverages the strengths of both companies.
In response to these challenges, MultiChoice has introduced several changes aimed at improving value for customers. In March last year, it increased the number of concurrent streams on Premium, Compact Plus, and Compact packages to two.
This followed backlash over a 2021 decision to reduce streaming to one device, a move intended to curb piracy and password sharing but which ultimately reduced value for legitimate users.
The company also introduced the Extra Stream product, allowing users to add another stream for a fee, although this did little to improve customer retention.
Since Canal+ assumed control, further enhancements have followed. In mid-October 2025, DStv enabled customers to pay for subscriptions using “coins” earned through its DStv Rewards programme. Within a month, more than 1.6 million coins had been redeemed, while programme usage increased by 83%.
In November 2025, MultiChoice hosted an open weekend, granting all decoder customers access to Premium channels. This was followed by the Thol’iUpsize promotion, which allowed Access and Family package subscribers to enjoy Compact channels until the end of January 2026.
