SABC to miss Betway Premiership opener amid CANAL+ talks

The opening round of the Betway Premiership will not be shown on the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) on Saturday, leaving millions of viewers without free-to-air coverage of the league’s anticipated return.

The SABC said on Friday afternoon that negotiations with broadcaster CANAL+ over a sub-licensing agreement for the Premier Soccer League (PSL) were making positive progress.

However, the public broadcaster confirmed that the outstanding agreement had not yet been completed, meaning it would not televise the opening round of the Betway Premiership.

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

The temporary delay will not affect the opening round of the MTN8 tournament. The SABC confirmed that it will broadcast the first round of the competition next weekend, giving viewers access to one of South Africa’s leading domestic football tournaments on free-to-air television.

“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 agreement covering the MTN8 was reached as the SABC and CANAL+ continue discussions over the remaining elements of the wider free-to-air arrangement.

David Mignot, group CEO of CANAL+ Africa and MultiChoice, welcomed the agreement for the cup competition and said talks over the rest of the deal were continuing.

“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 MTN8 agreement means the competition will remain available to audiences across the country on free-to-air television, despite the unresolved position regarding the Betway Premiership.

The SABC said it was optimistic that the outstanding discussions would be concluded soon and that it would then be able to provide wider coverage of South African football.

The Betway Premiership broadcast delay comes as the SABC and CANAL+ seek to complete the sub-licensing agreement, while the MTN8 deal has already been secured ahead of next weekend’s opening round.

The report was published by TimesLIVE. The story audio was generated using AI.