Early talks for new PSL broadcast rights deal

News is spreading fast regarding the potential sale of Multichoice to French television company Canal+ and it is all but confirmed and the takeover deal will be sealed and go through in the coming months.

But where does that leave the Premier Soccer League broadcast agreement?

The partnership announced in September 2020 when DStv took over from Absa for a period of five years will enter its final season in the upcoming campaign.

It’s understood the ongoing conversation about Canal+ has, as expected, brought in some questions regarding the future of the PSL. But Soccer Laduma is led to believe there are early talks over extending the DStv Premiership deal before the French company completely takes over to run the show.

Multichoice stepped in when the Covid-19 pandemic brought in genuine uncertainty when a sponsorship that had been running for well over a decade came to an end – Absa had long confirmed its decision not to take up the option to continue backing the domestic league, but it seemed as though the PSL had delayed looking for a replacement.

As per local reports at the time, a few brands and betting companies expressed an interest but did not follow through.

It was in the build-up to the new 2020/21 campaign that Multichoice, via DStv, stepped as new sponsors for an agreement worth around R600-million a season according to the PSL annual financial statements.

With one more year to go, it’s believed the deal is likely to be extended although the Canal+ element will also have a huge bearing on what the terms and conditions look like.