CANAL+ Group executives recently met with the Premier Soccer League (PSL) for talks to strengthen the relationship between the group that has recently acquired the MultiChoice Group and one of the biggest domestic leagues in Africa.
As part of the CANAL+ Group’s long-term drive to strengthen the local content offering, including sport, executives from one of the world’s leading entertainment platforms met with the PSL Chairman, Dr Irvin Khoza.
The Premier Soccer League is regarded as the most commercially successful league in Africa and regularly ranks inside the top 10 in the world. The Betway Premiership is currently experiencing its closest title race in years, with Orlando Pirates looking to dethrone Mamelodi Sundowns, much to the thrill of football fans.
The PSL’s partnership with the MultiChoice Group, a CANAL+ company, stretches back to 2007, with the broadcaster adding marked improvements to the broadcast quality of the league’s matches, including cup competitions, as well as adjacent content, magazine shows, documentaries and digital content. In South Africa, the SuperSport channels are supplied by Canal + Africa to MultiChoice (Pty) Ltd, which provides the DStv offering to subscribers.
PSL Chairman, Dr Khoza, reinforced the importance of the partnership between the PSL and the MultiChoice Group, following productive talks with its parent company executives from the CANAL+ Group.
The Chairman of the PSL, Dr Irvin Khoza, stated that the nature of the league format is such that every PSL match carries consequences and has an impact on the others.
“This cascading effect sustains an ongoing national conversation that reaches across communities and generations, permeating age, gender, affiliations and geography. Over time, the PSL has evolved beyond a schedule of fixtures into a cultural infrastructure — a shared national platform through which stories are told, identities are expressed and moments are collectively experienced. Our responsibility is to curate and present this platform with consistency, credibility and care,” he said.
Dr Khoza added that CANAL+ holds a premiership in the delivery of content, and it is through this capability that the PSL is able to reach the nation at scale.
“Together, the PSL as curator and CANAL+ as the premier delivery platform, enable a national cultural infrastructure that is both widely accessible and deeply engaging.
“The supporters are very knowledgeable about the game and the league. They follow its every move. It is their reading of form, consequence and inter-dependence between matches that creates the cascading effect across the league, as each result is interpreted in relation to the next.”
CANAL+ Director for Sports Content in English and Portuguese-speaking Africa, Rendani Ramovha, reinforced the company’s commitment to local football.
“The PSL is a key partner to the group, and it is important to ensure that we maintain a good relationship with our key stakeholders. This meeting was a major step in solidifying our relationship with the PSL for the long term,” said Ramovha.
“We have been clear since the onset of the coming together of the CANAL+ Group and the MultiChoice Group that our investment in local content is a top priority. And local football is right at the top of our most sought-after content from a customer and viewer perspective on DStv and SuperSport.
“We hold the PSL in high regard, as it is more than just a football league – it means so much to millions of people across the continent, who invest their time, money and emotions into what happens on and off the pitch. The meeting was to demonstrate the respect and reverence that is held towards one of the biggest leagues, not just in Africa, but in the world. We also look at the PSL as the perfect platform to innovate our broadcast offering, ever looking to improve our product and to give viewers and customers more value.”
Dr Khoza concluded that some smaller crowd sizes did not truly reflect the topical nature of PSL football in everyday conversation among millions of football followers in South Africa.
“Every PSL match carries value, irrespective of the number of spectators in the stadium. Each match’s true significance lies in its consequence within the league. Every supporter in attendance is matched by millions engaging from homes, workplaces, transit and social spaces across the country.”