CANAL+ strengthens PSL partnership as South African football audience grows

CANAL+ Group executives have met with the Premier Soccer League leadership in a move aimed at strengthening one of African football’s most significant broadcast partnerships.

The talks follow CANAL+’s acquisition of the MultiChoice Group and form part of the company’s broader push to expand investment in local content, particularly sport.

Executives from the global entertainment giant recently met with PSL chairman Dr Irvin Khoza to discuss the future of the long-standing relationship between the broadcaster and South Africa’s top-flight football league.

PSL remains one of Africa’s biggest football leagues

The Premier Soccer League is widely regarded as Africa’s most commercially successful domestic football competition and regularly ranks among the world’s top football leagues in terms of commercial performance and fan engagement.

This season’s Betway Premiership title race has also generated massive national interest, with Orlando Pirates attempting to challenge Mamelodi Sundowns for league supremacy.

CANAL+ reinforces commitment to local football

The PSL’s relationship with MultiChoice dates back to 2007, with the broadcaster significantly expanding:

• match production quality
• sports documentaries
• magazine programming
• digital football content
• and live broadcast coverage

In South Africa, SuperSport channels are supplied by CANAL+ Africa to MultiChoice for DStv subscribers.

According to Rendani Ramovha, local football remains one of the broadcaster’s most important content pillars.

“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,” Ramovha said.

“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.”

Dr Irvin Khoza highlights PSL’s cultural impact

Dr Irvin Khoza described the PSL as more than simply a football competition.

“This cascading effect sustains an ongoing national conversation that reaches across communities and generations,” he said.

“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.”

Khoza added that the league’s influence extends far beyond stadium attendance figures.

“Every PSL match carries value, irrespective of the number of spectators in the stadium,” he said.

“Each match’s true significance lies in its consequence within the league.”

Broadcast innovation remains a major focus

CANAL+ also indicated that the PSL provides an ideal platform to continue innovating sports broadcasting across Africa.

Ramovha said the broadcaster aims to:

• improve viewing experiences
• strengthen production quality
• and deliver greater value to subscribers

“We hold the PSL in high regard, as it is more than just a football league,” he said.

“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.”

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