SuperSport, a renowned cable sports network in sub-Saharan Africa, has announced that it will not broadcast the continent’s premier football event, the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The event is scheduled from January 13 to February 11, 2024.
Despite having a long-standing coverage of the AFCON, SuperSport and its parent company, MultiChoice, have confirmed that they have not secured the rights to air the tournament, and hence, they will not be able to broadcast it.
The announcement came through a statement released recently. However, football fans need not get disheartened as matches will be available through partner Free-to-Air (FTA) channels.
The reason behind SuperSport’s decision to not broadcast the AFCON 2023 is the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) announcement in November. The CAF awarded Togo-based New World TV a three-year deal for all its football content. As a result, New World TV now holds the rights to broadcast the 2023 AFCON across sub-Saharan Africa, while beIN Sports secured the MENA (Middle-East and North Africa) region rights.
This is not the first time CAF’s deal with New World TV has impacted fans. It caused millions across sub-Saharan Africa to miss out on watching their national teams in November’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers opening rounds.
However, in Ghana, the state-owned Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and its subsidiaries, including GTV and GTV Sports Plus, will broadcast AFCON 2023 free-to-air.
