Broadcast access shouldn’t be only for the rich.
Courtesy: SABC News
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has announced that will no longer broadcast all major games locally. The decision was made for business reasons. But many South African sports fans aren’t happy about the move, including not being able to view (TV) or hear (radio) this Saturday’s 2019 Cup of Nations qualifier with Seychelles.
There is some good news, though. Earlier this month, SABC announced it has come to terms with Cricket-South-Africa (CSA) to officially broadcast the T20 Msanzi Cricket Super League.
The SABC’s group CEO, Madoda Maxakwe, evaluated the arrangement this way; “It is a perfect deal, as it fits into the SABC’s business strategy of increasing audiences and revenue, delivering compelling, entertaining content, and diversifying revenue streams. The deal is, therefore, one that is mutually beneficial to the SABC and CSA.”
But the larger issue remains–enabling poor and average income South Africans to have live broadcast access to an array of major sporting events. Without equal access, South Africa devolves to a colonized mentality.
