Sport minister to probe blackout of PSL matches on SABC

Sport minister Nathi Mthethwa will convene an urgent meeting with the SABC‚ SuperSport‚ the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and the department of communications to discuss the blackout of league matches on the public broadcaster.

The meeting‚ which is expected to take place in the coming days, is an attempt by Mthethwa to find a solution to deadlocked negotiations between the SABC and SuperSport.

The opening round of PSL matches was not carried on SABC television and radio and there is no sign of the situation improving as SuperSport have valued the rights at R280m for 144 matches a year.

“The minister will be convening a meeting soon‚ commencing first with consulting individuals and then meeting everybody concerned at a later stage‚” said senior official at the department of sport Mickey Modisane.

“The minister is disappointed that millions of South Africans who don’t have access to pay-TV were not able to watch the opening round of PSL matches.”

The PSL programme will resume on Tuesday when Bidvest Wits host Baroka FC in Johannesburg and Modisane said it is unlikely an agreement will be found by then.

SABC shows midweek matches on a “delayed live” basis.

“The minister will be meeting all relevant parties upon their availability to engage them‚ [but] finding a solution on Tuesday might be impossible‚” he said.

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