eMedia granted interim relief in MultiChoice case over sports rights

Last year, eMedia took MultiChoice to the Competition Commission after it refused to allow the SABC to broadcast rugby and cricket World Cups games via Openview.

Bruce Whitfield speaks to Duncan McLeod, founder and editor of TechCentral.

Broadcast rights for sports events, especially the major competitions like the English Premier League, the Olympics and the Rugby World Cup have led to a revolution in sport.

Millions of dollars are spent on broadcasting, sponsorship and player wages every year, making the ‘business of sport’ one of the largest industries on the planet.

The most popular sporting events are often broadcast solely on pay tv platforms like Sky Sport, ESPN and Supersport here in South Africa.

If you don’t have access to subscription TV, then you’re likely to miss out on the majority of matches that millions around the globe tune into watch every weekend.

There’s been a long-running battle between free-to-air TV providers, who are wanting to break the dominance that pay-television broadcaster have on live sport broadcasts.

The Competition Tribunal on Monday granted eMedia interim relief in its fight against Multchoice, over sublicensing of live sports from the SABC onto its Openview free-to-air satellite platform.

The tribunal ruled that MultiChoice must provide these sublicense sports rights on the OpenView platform for the next six months.

Last year, eMedia took SuperSport’s owner, MultiChoice to the Competition Commission after it refused to allow the SABC to broadcast matches at both the rugby and cricket World Cups via Openview, the satellite platform on which SABC channels are broadcast.

eMedia has accused MultiChoice of abusing its dominant position and being anticompetitive.

Duncan McLeod, founder & editor at TechCentral says it’s a victory for the sport-loving South African public.

“MultiChoice specifically told the SABC in the sublicensing agreement that they may not carry the rugby world cup on OpenView, the eMedia platform. That they may only carry it on their free-to-air terrestrial channels.”

“…other platforms including OoenView were excluded in terms of the sublicensing agreement that the two parties signed.” Primediaplus