South Africa

South African public-service broadcaster SABC has hit out at the growing cost of sports rights after failing to agree a deal for the national cricket team’s tour of New Zealand.

South African public-service broadcaster SABC has agreed a multi-year rights deal with the Extreme Fighting Championship mixed martial arts series.

South Africa’s Independent Communications Authority (ICASA) has launched an investigation into the country’s pay-television market.

South African public-service broadcaster the SABC has acquired rights for the Uefa Euro 2016 national football team tournament.

John Manning, research analyst for SportBusiness Intelligence, reviews television audiences in selected key cricket markets for the recent ICC World Twenty20 tournament

Pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports has retained rights in Australia for Test matches and tournaments operated by Sanzar, rugby union’s governing body in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.

UK racecourse owner and operator Arena Racing Company has agreed a deal to distribute audio-visual coverage of South African horse racing to betting shops in the UK and Ireland.

John Manning, research anaylst for SportBusiness Intelligence examines Rugby World Cup television audiences in the major rugby union markets.

UK pay-television broadcaster Sky has agreed a five-year extension to its rights contract with Sanzar, the umbrella body for the Australian, New Zealand and South African rugby unions.

Sanzar, which operates the Super Rugby franchise-based rugby union competition in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, has finalised a new rights deal, according to the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.

South African public-service broadcaster the SABC is set to launch a sixth television channel, with reports stating that it is likely to be a dedicated sports platform.

The South African Football Association has reached an agreement to extend its rights deal with pay-television broadcaster Siyaya TV.

Pay-television broadcaster Siyaya is yet to launch in South Africa, calling into question whether or not matches of the South African national football team will be broadcast, TV Sports Markets understands.

Pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports Africa has acquired rights for the 2015 European Games multi-sport event in Baku, Azerbaijan.

South African pay-television broadcaster Siyaya TV has rubbished claims by the SABC that the country’s public-service broadcaster has struck a rights deal for coverage of South Africa’s national football teams, including the senior men’s team, known as Bafana Bafana.

South African public-service broadcaster the SABC will substantially scale back its channel plans for the long-delayed commercial start of the country’s switch from analogue to digital broadcasting, with SABC Sport one of the casualties.