The SABC has announced it acquired the broadcast rights for Fifa’s flagship tournaments, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, where Banyana Banyana will be competing next year.
According to a press statement released by the national broadcaster on Friday, the acquisition of the airing rights to two of the mostly watched sports events in the world, apart from the IOC’s Olympic Games, “is testament to the SABC’s commitment to continuously fulfil its public service mandate by providing access of sports of national interest to South African citizens”.
The World Cup in Qatar is set to take place from November 20 to December 18, with the the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand taking place from July 20 to August 20 2023.
For the World Cup, the SABC Sport Channel will be the primary broadcast platform for the live presentation of the matches, with SABC 1, SABC 2 and SABC 3 also carrying the games live simultaneously.
In line with SABC Sport’s strategic objective of making the world’s greatest football event available to all, audiences will also be able to enjoy the live action from the World Cup in Qatar in the language of their choice on SABC radio stations.
All the live match presentations will include a live studio build-up, with match previews and the latest team and player news, presented by SABC Sport anchors and top analysts, both on the television and radio platforms.
As part of the “always-on” digital strategy, all the latest news, score updates, log table, streaming services and live match commentary will be available on the SABC Sport digital platforms, ensuring that the audiences don’t miss a single minute of the World Cup 2022.
The SABC CEO Madoda Mxakwe said: “The acquisition of the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 [broadcast rights] has always been a strategic decision for the SABC. The Fifa World Cup creates various marketing opportunities for SABC Sport and other SABC sub-brands, and we will optimally use this event to create a sense of euphoria for South Africans everywhere.
“We are committed to ensuring that we provide our audiences with renewed sense of excitement and provide the matches to the audiences with no-barrier to entry through television, radio and digital broadcast.”
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