SARU & CANAL+ Rights Renewal

SA Rugby and the CANAL+ Group, the parent company of the MultiChoice Group, have concluded the renewal of their multi-year domestic broadcast rights agreement.

The renewed deal will see SuperSport, Africa’s leading sports broadcaster, continue as the exclusive official rights holder for all SA Rugby domestic competitions, as well as Springbok Women’s and junior age-group matches, across Sub-Saharan Africa.

This marks the first agreement of its kind between a major local sports federation and the CANAL+ Group since it joined forces with MultiChoice in September last year, reaffirming CANAL+’s long-term commitment to local sport. SuperSport has been a proud broadcast partner of SA Rugby for more than 30 years.

SA Rugby president Mark Alexander said: “We are very pleased to have concluded our first agreement with the MultiChoice Group and CANAL+ Group after a thorough and extensive series of engagements. They have demonstrated a shared understanding of the importance of rugby to the South African public, and we trust this is the first of many such agreements.”

CANAL+ Africa CEO David Mignot welcomed the continuation of the domestic rights agreement, which ensures all domestic rugby matches will remain available exclusively on SuperSport. In South Africa, the SuperSport channels are supplied by CANAL+ Africa to MultiChoice (Pty) Ltd, which provides the DStv service to subscribers.

“As promised, we are doubling down on our investment in local content, including the sports content that matters most to people across the continent. In the South African market, rugby has become part of the national psyche, as evidenced by the national euphoria each time the Springboks won the Rugby World Cup,” said Mignot.

SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer added: “Broadcasting rights are fundamental to the health and sustainability of sport in South Africa, and rugby is no exception. SuperSport has been a long-standing and trusted partner of South African rugby, and we are delighted to continue this relationship.

“The worlds of rugby and broadcasting have changed significantly since we signed our first agreement in the 1990s, but it is a testament to our shared interests that the partnership continues to endure.”

Rendani Ramovha, CANAL+ Director for Sports Content in English- and Portuguese-speaking Africa, said: “The renewal of the domestic broadcast agreement is not only a strengthening of our long-standing partnership with SA Rugby, but also a victory for DStv viewers and subscribers, who trust us to deliver the very best sports content with world-class broadcast quality.

“To continue fulfilling that promise is a proud moment for us, and it reaffirms our commitment to sports fans. We are grateful to our partners at SA Rugby for their collaborative spirit.”