The conclusion of the 35th TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and season four of Betway SA20 has marked SuperSport’s successful broadcast of two major African sports tournaments since CANAL+ joined forces with MultiChoice in September 2025.
The success of the broadcasts illustrated the renewed broadcasting capabilities and added innovation, which culminated in improved viewership experiences as well as customer benefits for DStv, DStv Stream and GOtv subscribers.
Ahead of the start of those two massive tournaments, which both began in December 2025, customer and viewer benefits kicked off with the announcement that DStv subscribers would enjoy select high-profile Ligue 1 McDonald’s football matches, one of Europe’s top five leagues, from 17 October 2025.
It meant football lovers across Africa could see massive clashes in the French league between Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille, Lille, Lyon, Strasbourg and Monaco, to name a few, courtesy of the CANAL+ partnership with Ligue 1 McDonald’s.
The benefits were ratcheted up when DStv’s “Open Time” campaign allowed all subscribers, regardless of the package, access to the full Premium DStv Bouquet on the weekend that began on Friday, 7 November 2025, to Sunday night, 9 November 2025. It meant millions got to witness Siya Kolisi’s 100th Springbok test when South Africa clashed with France at the Stade de France in Paris, which the visitors won 32-17.
In anticipation of the best TotalEnergies CAF AFCON ever held, in Morocco, DStv dialled the customer benefits up several notches with the Upsize campaign, which offered active, fully-paid subscribers automatic free upgrades to higher-tier packages – for linear decoder viewing – from 10 November 2025 to 31 January 2026.
Premium subscribers also got two additional DStv Stream connected devices, which doubled this benefit from two devices to four during this period at no extra cost.
With the platform for incredible viewing set, the action kicked off in Morocco on 21 December 2025, under the theme “The Family Meets”, which united the African football family through the beautiful game of football and Africa’s biggest sports tournament.
Africa’s greatest football nations battled it out for the ultimate trophy in men’s African football, with Senegal getting crowned the kings of the continent after defeating the hosts in what was considered by many across the world as the most compelling international final in recent memory on 18 January 2026.
SuperSport boasted African football stars such as former Nigeria and Manchester United forward Odion Ighalo and ex-AFCON-winning Ivorian winger and UEFA Champions League winner, Salomon Kalou, in its illustrious studio panel.
The fourth edition of the Betway SA20 took off on Boxing Day (26 December 2025), one of cricket’s most iconic and traditional match days, with much fanfare.
It was the first time the smash hit global T20 started in December, instead of the usual January start.
It meant the South African holiday season was given some spice of Incredible, which many viewers relished.
The tournament was a credit to the year-long planning and meticulous execution of both the League, led by SA20 Commissioner Graeme Smith, and SuperSport, under the guidance of CANAL+ Director of Sports Content for English and Portuguese-speaking Africa, Rendani Ramovha.
SuperSport’s broadcast quality matched the elevated levels of the Betway SA20 action, with an array of features that included ball-tracking, catchy graphics, and expert commentary and analysis in English, Afrikaans and IsiXhosa.
Your World of Champions brought viewers all the enthralling live action from the first ball to the Eastern Cape Sunrisers’ thrilling victory over Pretoria Capitals at Newlands on 25 January 2026.
Betway SA20 brought the digital community together, with engagement on the tournament through SuperSport’s social media and digital platforms reaching new heights.
SuperSport included additional on-the-ground coverage, such as its unmatched Digital Build-Up on YouTube and the interactive account “What the Streets are Saying”, which had fans buzzing about their knowledge and education (for some) about the wonderful game of T20 cricket.
SuperSport brought in international stars such as former World Cup-winning England captain, Eoin Morgan, his former England teammate Kevin Pietersen, Proteas legends AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini for yet more pulsating analysis and commentary during the scintillating summer of cricket.
The latest SA20 season had something for every entertainment fan, not just your avid cricket lover, with star-studded appearances from former Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi, television royalty in the form of Zola Nombona, Linda Mtoba, Zamani Mbatha, and Nambitha Ben-Mazwi.
Stars who can be seen regularly on DStv’s Mzansi Magic en vogue shows also captured the spotlight at SA20 matches, including Inimba’s “It couple”, Lunathi Mampofu and Loyiso MacDonald, and KykNet’s Je-Ani Swiegelaar, Werner Coetser of Binnelander and Diepe Waters fame, respectively.
“As part of the CANAL+ Group, we have brought the family together through the broadcast of tournaments that display the unique power of sport to unite people in all corners of Africa,” said Ramovha.
“Whether it was watching Africa’s best of the best footballers and awe-inspiring football fan moments in Morocco during the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON 2025, or the Betway SA20 global T20 cricket tournament, SuperSport maintained its role at the forefront of sports broadcasting on the continent, while upping its global standing through CANAL+ synergies.
“As part of one of the biggest entertainment broadcast groups in the world, we are uniquely positioned to deliver exceptional sports broadcasting from the ground or any part of Africa and the world.
"Your World of Champions has become the ultimate destination for sports entertainment, reaching younger and vibrant audiences through its unique blend of traditional sports and pop culture and entertainment icons.”
In November, the CANAL+ Group also ensured the return of the NBA to SuperSport channels, marking the first time live coverage has been available on the network since the 2015/16 season.