SuperSport won’t air AFCON after failing to secure broadcast rights

By Tata Mbunwe

SuperSport, the prominent DSTV channel, will not be airing games of the highly anticipated African Nations Cup (AFCON) scheduled to be held in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire this January and February.

The announcement was made by Multichoice Africa, the parent company of DSTV, on Wednesday, revealing that SuperSport had not secured the broadcasting rights for the tournament.

“SuperSport Channel will not broadcast the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 scheduled for January 13th – February 11th, 2024, because the channel has not secured the rights to broadcast the tournament,” stated Multichoice Africa.

The announcement, disappointing for football lovers, assured that AFCON 2023 games would still be available through partner broadcast stations on Free to Air (FTA) channels.

“Multichoice Africa remains committed to ensuring football fans across Africa continue to enjoy unrivalled access to entertainment and football games available on DStv and GOtv platforms including, the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Zambian Super League and many more of football’s most prestigious competitions,” Multichoice said.

The decision not to broadcast AFCON 2023 on SuperSport follows Multichoice Africa’s failure to secure a deal with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for the broadcasting rights of the tournament.

This shift in the African football television landscape became evident as Togolese broadcaster New World TV emerged victorious in securing the Free-to-Air and Pay TV rights to all CAF competitions in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.

The rights, previously held by the African Union of Broadcasters, SuperSport International, and Canal Plus, have now transitioned to New World TV.

Reports say a three-year deal has been forged between New World TV and CAF, designating them as the rights holders for 13 competitions, including the 2023 and 2025 AFCON tournaments.

This agreement spans across 46 countries in the region, encompassing South Africa.

The implications of this new order mean that free-to-air stations in the 46 countries seeking to broadcast AFCON and other CAF competitions must sublicense the rights through New World TV.

Mimi Mefo Info