Foremost South Africa-based group of television channels, SuperSport, has said that it will not broadcast the 2023 edition of Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) slated for January 13 to February 11, 2024 in Côte d’Ivoire, because the channel has not secured the rights to broadcast the tournament.
According to a terse statement by MultiChoice on Wednesday, it, however, said AFCON 2023 games will be available on its partner broadcast stations on Free to Air (FTA) channels.
No reason was adduced for its failure to secure broadcast rights for Africa’s biggest sporting event despite broadcasting the biennial tournament to millions of TV viewers across the world for many years.
“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.
“However, AFCON 2023 games will be available through our partner broadcast stations on Free to Air (FTA) channels,” it stated.
It added that 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.
LEADERSHIP reports that SuperSport, owned by MultiChoice, is carried on the DStv & Canal+ satellite platforms alongside the GOtv terrestrial platform and Showmax Pro for live sports programming. It provides sports content in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and many other African countries.
Its affiliates or partner broadcast stations include ESPN, Fox Sports, Australia, Sky Sports, and Sony TEN.