SUPERSPORT ACQUIRES THE RIGHTS TO BROADCAST THE PSL AND ITALIAN SERIE A

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) on Friday announced that SuperSport International won the five year broadcast rights of the local soccer competition for the next 5 years.

This is a renewal of the PSL’s deal with SuperSport which was signed in 2007 and was set to end when the current 2011/12 season concluded.

The PSL had sent out notices to tender for the rights at the start of July.

The new deal, the PSL said, would be worth well over R2 billion over five years, an improvement on the current deal of R1.6 billion.

SuperSport will also receive internet and mobile rights as part of the package to take advantage of the increasing new media, said PSL chairperson Irvin Khoza.

Imtiaaz Patel, who is the group chief executive of SuperSport’s parent company MultiChoice, said he was delighted with the renewed partnership.

The station, however, still has to provide some matches to South Africa’s free-to-air channels.

“Unfortunately because of the private clause that we signed, and for other broadcasters that also submitted tenders, we cannot give the exact amounts,” said Patel.

Meanwhile,SuperSport has just also announed the acquisition of broadcast rights for Italy’s Serie A.

Serie A now sitting alongside the English Premiership, Bundesliga, La Liga and the French championship.

A delighted Brandon Foot, who heads up SuperSport’s legal and acquisitions department, said this move cemented SuperSport’s status as the best provider of football content on the continent.

“We are very proud of our offering and the acquisition of Serie A reaffirms our commitment to football, the favourite sport in Africa. Teams like Juventuz, Milan and Internazionale are world-famous and we are thrilled to bring them to our loyal subscribers.”