By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
MultiChoice has announced that its SuperSport channel will not be broadcasting the highly anticipated Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 tournament.
In a statement released on Wednesday, MultiChoice said “SuperSport Channel will not broadcast the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 scheduled for January 13th to February 11th, 2024, because the channel has not secured the rights to broadcast the tournament.”
The news come as a major disappointment to football fans across the continent, who were hoping to watch AFCON 2024 on SuperSport channel.
MultiChoice explained further “AFCON 2023 games will be available through our partner broadcast stations on Free to Air (FTA) channels.” So whilst the games will still be accessible, fans will have to switch to FTA stations rather than watching in their usual place on SuperSport.
South African viewers will still be able to watch the tournament after the SABC secured Free-To-Air rights via CAF’s new Pan-African broadcaster New World TV between 2023 and 2025.
CAF announced the new deal with the Togo-based New World TV early in December, stating “the Media Rights Agreement between CAF and New World TV includes the rights to the upcoming TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (“AFCON”) Côte d’Ivoire 2023″.
CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe called the deal a historic achievement: “The Media Rights Agreement with New World TV is the biggest investment by a Pan-African broadcaster in CAF’s history. We are very proud to partner with such a globally competitive and innovative broadcasting company which has adapted quickly to the changing demands and viewing patterns of the modern football audience. New World TV is also introducing new ways of consuming video content through its strong partnerships with various mobile operators and its television networks.”
The AFCON 2023 tournament promises to be an exciting affair, with 24 teams set to participate in over sixty games.
The pay channel, in the 2023/24 season, has also not televised the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup interclub competitions, as it has previously.