SuperSport has secured the broadcasting rights (at the nick of time) to televise the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament in Ivory Coast. This decision follows days of concern by DStv subscribers who were worried they would be unable to watch the continent’s biggest competition.
Initially, DStv CEO Marc Jury had stated that SuperSport had not secured the broadcasting rights, but he also noted that the channel would leave the door open for any last-minute changes. In response, numerous subscribers threatened to cancel their subscriptions if they could not watch the Afcon on SuperSport.
However, a source close to the situation confirmed that SuperSport has been given the green light to screen the competition live. “SuperSport has now decided to secure the broadcasting rights,” said the source, who did not want to be identified. “There was no way that they were going to be left behind. The Afcon is the biggest sporting event in the African tournament.”
The African showpiece is set to kick off on Saturday, with host nation Ivory Coast locking horns with Guinea-Bissau. Bafana Bafana will open their campaign against Mali in what will be a Group E opening encounter on Tuesday.
