MultiChoice’s grip on the pay-TV market could soon be loosened after a proposal by the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) to introduce shared sports rights and shorten exclusive contract periods. MultiChoice is dominating the market courtesy of exclusive contracts to broadcast football, particularly the popular English Premier League — one of the most-watched leagues in the world. Icasa’s proposals are a bid to break MultiChoice’s monopoly on pay-TV and facilitate entry to new players. Late in 2017, Icasa published a discussion document on its inquiry into subscription television broadcasting services. It said the inquiry aimed "to determine whether there are competition issues in the sector, which require action to be taken by the authority through the imposition of pro-competitive conditions on relevant licensees". Icasa regulates SA’s telecommunications and broadcasting sectors, which includes promoting competition. Before introducing new regulations to boost comp...
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