Bundesliga International And SABC Agree Two-Year Broadcasting Deal In South Africa
September 9, 2020
Bundesliga International, a subsidiary of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga, is pleased to announce a two-year broadcasting rights deal with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) to show the Bundesliga.
SABC and Bundesliga International have reached an agreement for the Free-to-Air (FTA) broadcasting rights of the Bundesliga for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. The Bundesliga FTA package includes one live match broadcast per match week, as well as the Bundesliga “Weekly” preview show and the Bundesliga highlights show.
As Germany’s elite football competition, the Bundesliga is home to the current UEFA Champions League winners FC Bayern München, and showcases world class football talent with the likes of Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski and Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland. The league also features some of the best national team players from across Africa, including Salif Sané from FC Schalke 04, Diadie Samassékou from TSG Hoffenheim, and Edmond Tapsoba from Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
SABC Sport General Manager, Gary Rathbone, said, “There has been an enormous amount of effort that has gone into making this deal happen and we are very happy to partner with the DFL in bringing football from one of the world’s best leagues to viewers right across the country. The Bundesliga is a very attractive football proposition and South Africans will now get an open window through which to watch some of the game’s most iconic football rivalries, in a league displaying exquisite technique and an abundance of passion, from one of the world’s great football nations. The Bundesliga truly is ‘Football As It’s Meant To Be’. With this acquisition, SABC Sport is well on the way to delivering a diversified sport offering that understands the different needs of our audiences and commercial partners, and aims to bring more great sports content into their homes and onto their digital devices”.
Robert Klein, Bundesliga International CEO, said: “With SABC we have secured the premium Free-to-Air broadcaster in South Africa to screen the Bundesliga over the next two seasons. We are very excited to partner with SABC to bring Germany’s top league to South Africa’s vibrant, passionate community of football fans. With consistently more goals than Europe’s other top leagues, we know that viewers will be hooked by the exciting brand of football played in the Bundesliga and we are excited to use this partnership with SABC to reach more South Africans than ever before.”