Relief as rugby stays on SABC radio

Rugby enthusiasts without the means to access DSTV can breathe a sigh of relief: the SABC will have radio broadcasts of 2018’s Super Rugby tournament.

The South African Rugby Union (Saru) on Wednesday confirmed that, following robust discussions, the local governing body and SuperSport had resolved to waive the broadcasting rights.

As owner of all broadcasting rights in South Africa, the public broadcaster had needed to pay SuperSport for the right to produce radio content.

But financial constraints meant that there was going to be a blackout of broadcasts.

It’s understood the SABC won’t be able to pay SuperSport because the new board wouldn’t been able to approve the budget in this regard in time for the season to start.

As a result, the pay channel have told the SABC they won’t have to pay after Saru emphasised how important radio is in informing millions of South Africans.

“Frankly, it wasn’t a difficult discussion,” Gideon Khobane, chief executive of SuperSport, said in a statement.

“We know and understand the realities of South Africa. Once Mr Alexander asked, we were happy to come to an arrangement.”

Saru president Mark Alexander expressed his relief.

“All have worked to find a solution to keep rugby on the radio airwaves and the waiving of the rights fee to which they are entitled is a significant step in that process,” he said.

“The fear that rugby commentary might no longer be a feature of our listening experience is a very real and a very worrying one and I’d like to commend SuperSport for the leadership they have shown in this matter.”

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