The SABC has rejected an offer by SuperSport to rebroadcast games from the ICC Cricket World Cup, with the public broadcaster unable to afford the sublicensing rights.
MultiChoice claimed in a statement on Tuesday that the SABC rejected “multiple offers” it made to for sublicense the matches.
“After prolonged negotiations, the SABC last night rejected MultiChoice’s latest proposal for a possible sublicensing of broadcast rights to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on the basis of the proposed licence fee,” said MultiChoice.
The pay-television operator, which owns SuperSport, expressed “disappointment” at the SABC’s refusal to accept the rights, which it said were “on significantly reduced commercial terms”.
The latest row follows a similar standoff between the two broadcasters over broadcasting rights for the Rugby World Cup last month. A last-minute agreement between the two parties was announced only a few days before the tournament kicked off.
On Friday, the SABC told parliament that it had reported a net loss of R1.1-billion for the year ended 31 March 2023. — © 2023 NewsCentral Media