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The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has provided more details on the main sporting events that could be broadcast free-to-air as part of a review of South Africa’s sports broadcasting regulations.
In a presentation to parliament on Friday (September 4), Icasa said the purpose of the review is to identify and list national sporting events, and regulate the broadcast of them, in South Africa.
The regulator said the regulations list sporting events that:
- They have been identified as national sporting events, as well as minority and developmental sports;
- It cannot be purchased exclusively for broadcast by subscription television licensees;
- It must be broadcast live, delayed live, or delayed by free-to-air television license holders.
Icasa said that a series of criteria are used to determine whether a national sporting event is in the public interest.
This includes whether the event includes a national team or a national representative, whether the game being played is a semifinal or final of a knockout competition, and whether it is the opening game of a confederation event.
The proposed list of events that Icasa and the Department of Communications seek to include is the following:
- Summer Olympics;
- Paralympic Games;
- FIFA World Cup;
- African Cup of Nations;
- Rugby World Cup;
- ICC Cricket World Cup;
- ICC T20 World Cricket Championship;
- International Boxing Federations;
- Netball World Cup;
- Commonwealth Games;
- IAAF World Championships in Athletics;
- Super 15 Rugby;
- All Africa Games;
- Cosafa Cup
- CAF Champions League
- CAF Confederations Cup
- MTN 8
- Telkom Knockout;
- Nedbank Cup;
- Currie Cup;
- TAFISA World Sport for All Games.
Some of these events are already available for transmission through free-to-air stations such as SABC. In addition, pay stations will not lose the right to broadcast these events, only the possible exclusivity.
Draft plans
In December 2018, Icasa published the Draft Regulation for the Modification of Sports Broadcasting Services that aims to formalize his plans to reduce the monopoly of sport.
If a free licensee, such as SABC or eTV, cannot acquire the sports rights to these events, subscription service broadcasters such as MultiChoice can bid for the rights on a non-exclusive basis.
Numerous other sporting events, such as Super Rugby, Currie Cup, Premier League Soccer, and the COSAFA Cup, are available to subscription broadcasters on a non-exclusive basis.
The regulations further require that free and subscription services convey at least two minority sports codes such as golf, tennis, martial arts, basketball, squash, and motorsports.
Several South African bodies have joined in an attempt to oppose the new broadcasting regulations as they could lose significant funding due to the new model.
DStv is the main funder of various sports codes in the country, and many South African sports groups depend on the station for their day-to-day operations.
Who pays?
Questions have also been raised about who will pay to access these sports rights.
in a parliamentary meeting In March, DA deputy Phumzile van Damme said that the SABC and the government simply did not have the funds to buy the international broadcasting rights.
“I understand the reason behind the regulation. You want all of South Africa to watch sports on SABC, which is good, ”he said.
But this will not happen. It is simply populist, and if this is the idea that it is taking to the public, then it is a lie. There is no way for this to happen. “
Van Damme said it was not possible for the SABC to send its own cameras and equipment to these international events as they are highly regulated and the broadcasting rights are being sold as part of an international tender.
He added that it is unlikely that these organizations will grant the SABC preferential rates on transmission rights, while Icasa could not prevent companies such as SuperSport from bidding for these rights.
Instead, Van Damme said the government should find a “middle ground” as with the Rugby World Cup final that aired on SABC.
Read: South Africans have stopped paying for their TV licenses – here’s what the SABC is doing about it
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