SABC blackout leaves millions waiting for Betway Premiership broadcast deal

Millions of South African football viewers will not be able to watch the opening round of the Betway Premiership on free-to-air television this Saturday after the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) confirmed that its sub-licensing agreement with CANAL+ has not yet been finalised.

The public broadcaster said on Friday afternoon that negotiations with CANAL+ were making “positive progress”, but that the outstanding agreement meant it would not televise the opening round of the league.

The SABC said it remained committed to completing the deal and expected to begin showing Betway Premiership matches from 15 August, when league action resumes.

The temporary delay will not affect the MTN8, with the SABC confirming that it will broadcast the opening round of the competition next weekend.

The agreement means the MTN8 will return to free-to-air television for viewers across South Africa, although the Betway Premiership remains unavailable on the public broadcaster until the discussions are concluded.

“The conclusion of the MTN8 agreement means that millions of viewers across the country will once again be able to enjoy one of our premier domestic football competitions on free-to-air television.

“We thank CANAL+ for their continued collaboration in making this possible and appreciate the positive engagement that continues on the Betway Premiership discussions.

“We remain optimistic that these will be concluded soon, allowing us to bring even more South African football to audiences across the country,” said SABC group CEO Nomsa Chabeli.

The MTN8 agreement was reached between the SABC and CANAL+, which is working with MultiChoice on the broadcasting arrangements. The deal covers the 2026 MTN8 cup competition.

CANAL+ Africa and MultiChoice group CEO David Mignot said the organisations were continuing to discuss the wider free-to-air arrangements for the 2026/27 season.

“We are pleased to be partnering with the SABC for the broadcast of the 2026 MTN8 cup competition.

“We continue to have engaging discussions about the rest of the 2026/27 free-to-air sub-licensing agreement, which we hope to conclude soon, more so in this historic 30th season of the PSL.”

The SABC’s statement did not announce any change to the expected date for its Betway Premiership coverage, with the broadcaster still anticipating that broadcasts will start on 15 August.

Until then, viewers will have access to the MTN8 through the newly concluded agreement, while the opening round of the Betway Premiership will not be shown by the SABC.

The report’s accompanying audio was generated using artificial intelligence.