By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Zizi Kodwa said on Monday he hopes the SABC and SuperSport will be able to reach an agreement on the broadcast of the Rugby World Cup games.
MultiChoice, which owns the broadcasting rights for the tournament in France, wants the SABC to pay about R38m to sub-licence the rights.
Kodwa urged the SABC to find a solution in order for it to be able to fulfil its mandate to cover sports of national interest.
“I am concerned at how millions of South Africans may be unable to watch the Rugby World Cup should the SABC not be able to broadcast matches in the tournament. My commitment is to give South Africans access to all sports codes,” the Minister said on Monday.
He made these remarks after engaging with Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Mondli Gungubele and the SABC on the 2023 Rugby World Cup broadcasting rights.
SuperSport had announced a failure to reach an agreement with the SABC on the broadcast rights to the tournament.
The Springboks, who are three-time world champions, will be participating in the 2023 Rugby World Cup taking place in France. The World Cup fixtures run from Friday, 8 September to Saturday, 28 October.
“I am hopeful that an agreement will be reached between SABC and SuperSport. Rugby plays a critical role in nation building and social cohesion. It is important that millions of South African can watch the Springboks continuing to lift the nation at the Rugby World Cup,” Kodwa said.
The tournament gets underway on Friday night when hosts France face off against New Zealand’s All Blacks at Stade de France. While the reigning champions will open their campaign on Sunday against Scotland.