SuperSport to acquire broadcasting rights for series of matches in the greatest rivalry between Springboks and All Blacks

Canal+ has acquired exclusive rights to all UEFA men's club competitions in Sub-Saharan Africa for four seasons, starting from mid-2027 until 2031. These rights cover the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League in over 40 countries.

SuperSport, which has long been the broadcaster of these competitions in the region, retains its rights. However, in French-speaking Africa, Canal+ Sport is restoring full coverage of the Champions League and adding the Europa League and Conference League for the first time on an exclusive French-language basis.

The counterparty is UC3, a joint venture between UEFA and European football clubs (formerly the European Club Association). In March 2025, UC3 entrusted the American agency Relevent with a global mandate for marketing and selling commercial rights to the club competitions for six seasons, from 2027/2028 to 2032/2033. Canal+ signed a four-season package within this six-year cycle. The deal's value was not disclosed.

This move is seen as a clear statement about where Canal+ intends to compete after acquiring MultiChoice Group, as well as an acknowledgment of areas where it cannot compete. Since scripted entertainment content has become the cheapest on the internet, streaming services like Netflix, Disney, Amazon, and Apple sell content libraries in South Africa for much less than the most expensive DStv package. Consequently, a household interested in a prestigious drama series sees no reason to pay a premium for cable television for that content. Furthermore, global streamers are not yet ready to invest heavily in Africa specifically in this category.

Rights Agreements

Canal+ followed this logic since gaining control in September 2025:

• In May, the company extended internal rights for SA Rugby, leaving SuperSport as the sole broadcaster of all domestic SA Rugby competitions and matches of the women's and youth Springbok teams in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• On June 3, the day of listing on the JSE, two more agreements were confirmed: a contract with World Rugby covering the Men's Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027 and the women's tournament in 2029, as well as the Youth World Cup and Pacific Nations Cup. It was also confirmed that SuperSport retains the rights to the United Rugby Championship.
• The agreement with the National Football League, which includes Betway Premiership, MTN8, Carling Knockout, Nedbank Cup, and MotoSport Foundation Championship, was extended.

Simultaneously, Canal+ was cutting back on entertainment spending: the Showmax service was discontinued in March and closed at the end of April, and the usual price increase in April was not applied.

Last week's half-year financial results for Canal+ help explain this strategy. Canal+ reported a 40% revenue growth in the first half and a 68% increase in adjusted profit before interest and taxes. Meanwhile, MultiChoice's adjusted EBITDA grew by 160%, reaching 143 million euros, and subscriber acquisition in MultiChoice countries increased by 40%. The total African subscriber base grew by 7%, and South Africa recorded its best month for new subscribers in a decade in June. Group CEO Maxim Saada acknowledged that this growth is largely due to the recently concluded FIFA World Cup.

Unlike the World Cup, the Champions League football takes place weekly over four seasons, which is likely an attempt to turn a temporary surge of interest into a permanent level, thereby stopping subscriber decline. Nevertheless, these are also ongoing costs: the inflation of broadcasting rights is relentless. Canal+ has secured four seasons of confidence in its most important asset for customer retention, as well as four seasons of guaranteed expenses. The bet is that Africans, including those in South Africa, will continue to pay for football even after they stop paying for movies.

South Africa's success at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow sparked a wave of pride among the population. The South African team concluded the competitions in Glasgow by winning an impressive 28 medals: 7 gold, 11 silver, and 10 bronze, which allowed them to secure 11th place in the overall medal tally.

A significant portion of the achievements was made by the South African swimming team, who won 22 medals, including six gold, constituting the vast majority of all awards.

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Social media users shared their impressions of the athletes' successes. It was noted that most of the South African athletes train and develop in their home country.

Furthermore, in the context of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2026, it was mentioned that the Nigerian team finished in seventh place with 24 medals (10 gold, seven silver, and seven bronze) and became the highest-ranked African country.

The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gethon Mackenzie, congratulated the South African team, stating that they 'brought us pride in Glasgow' and added a new chapter to South Africa's sporting history.

It was also noted that veteran South African swimmer Chad le Clos won a record 21 medals at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, surpassing Emma McKeon from Australia as the most decorated athlete in the competition's history.