‘If people paid TV licences, SABC could show Springbok World Cup games’

A former SABC Sport manager has blamed non-payment of TV licences for the broadcaster’s inability to show Rugby World Cup matches.

Gary Rathbone, the founder of Sportscape Media and a former general manager of SABC Sport, was speaking to The Citizen about the standoff between the broadcaster and MultiChoice over sub-licensing of broadcast rights to the 2023 Rugby World Cup games.

“The answer is straightforward. If everybody paid their licence fee, we wouldn’t have this issue. The SABC would be making a profit and would be able to afford the rights without a problem.

“I find it a bit problematic the government is going to be forced to have to step forward again and stump up the money. And, at the end of the day, all South Africans will be paying for it,” Rathbone said.

Rathbone said the SABC would be happy with only broadcasting the Springbok games.

“It’s exactly what they did with the Netball World Cup that was recently completed and the agreement that we did there was done directly with the LOC (local organising committee) and SuperSport had a separate deal. SuperSport had all the matches, we only had the South African team matches and the opening match.”

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Minister steps in

Millions of South Africans will be shattered if they are denied the opportunity to see the Springboks, especially in the opening match against Scotland on Sunday.

Minister of Sport Zizi Kodwa has stepped in to resolve the standoff between MultiChoice and the SABC over the rights to broadcast the Springbok matches.

The SABC has refused to pay MultiChoice R37.7 million for the exclusive right to show all potential Springbok games live.

This means that the matches will only be available on SuperSport Grandstand and Rugby channels on DStv’s Premium package, with only around 1.3 million South Africans being able to watch the games.

Conditions

Rathbone said there were a lot of conditions that need to be met to get broadcasting rights.

“In terms of clauses that they put in their sublicence contract, they say things like ‘you’re not allowed to broadcast on the sports channel, you’re not allowed to broadcast on channels that are on the digital platforms and broadcast only on analogue platforms’.

“They make it as difficult for the SABC as possible. And then they put a price tag on it at the last minute. So it is not actually feasible for anybody to actually [find] that kind of money,” he said.

Springbok games

Rathbone said the SABC may get to broadcast some of the Springboks’ Rugby World Cup matches, depending on how far the national team progresses in the tournament.  

“I see this playing out exactly how it played out at the last World Cup. Basically, with the last World Cup, SABC didn’t get the rights until the Springboks made the final. And then the government had to step in. It will probably be what happens again unless they can get a deal… to cover some of the early games as well.

“The government will try and actually  do something and make it happen and it really depends on how much SuperSport are prepared  let go and how much the government feel they can support,” Rathbone said.

Meanwhile, in a short statement on X (formerly Twitter), the SABC wrote: “The SABC can confirm the corporation has been in constant engagements with MultiChoice and has met all their requirements to conclude the agreement regarding the Rugby World Cup 2023. At this stage, the SABC is awaiting feedback from MultiChoice.”

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