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South African Broadcast Corporation Group CEO Nomsa Chabeli has vowed to bring several upcoming major football events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to fans on free-to-air platforms.
The public broadcaster has offered South African football lovers unparalleled access to recent CAF events, including the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, the current Champions League, Confederation Cup, recent Women's Champions League, and FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
This extensive level of coverage, Chabeli has confirmed, will continue in what is a jam-packed 12 months ahead, which will see the Women's and Men's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, as well as the FIFA World Cup in USA, Mexico and Canada delivered live.
"So, we are going to be having unparalleled commentary, in all African languages, in all South African languages, that's important. As SABC, we are using our platform to ensure that we get that variety of voices, ensuring that all South Africans are represented, Engish, Afrikaans, XiTsonga, Sesotho etc, so that's going to be done,” Chabeli said.
“But what we're looking at as well is on the ground coverage where we will be taking our very own well-known journalists that are going to be bringing it live across each and every platform to South Africans.
“For me it's an exciting one because it shows the power of public broadcasting in terms of us really becoming a public service media organisation where we represent South Africans.
“The South Africans don't have to be left out of such major global events because they are unable to pay, to subscribe for example or to be part of an event by utilising other platforms but as SABC we are saying that we are committed to making sure that sport of national interest which these tournaments which you are talking to are, are going to be available to all South Africans at any time they want. “So, that's what the commitment of SABC is to South Africans at large."
With Patrice Motsepe now in his second term as CAF President, this also augurs well for the SABC's relationship with the continental football motherbody, noted the GCEO.
"Our relationship with CAF is strengthening, I think if you look at for example the previous Africa Cup of Nations, the amount of people in terms of audiences that SABC was able to deliver and the fact that SABC was able to broadcast each and every one of the AFCON matches, it just goes to show how strengthened this relationship has been,” she added.
“From an SABC perspective, we are looking forward to really broadcasting all the CAF tournaments. WAFCON is coming up in July, where we'll really see women's football in its glory and we look forward to utilising our platforms to unite South Africans behind Banyana Banyana which is very critical for us.
“Then later on in the year, Bafana get in on the action in terms of the African Cup of Nations that's taking place in Morocco and SABC is planning on unparallel broadcasting of the AFCON as well where we will have all of the matches live across all our platforms, that's radio, that's TV, that's OTT streaming platforms."
