eMedia Challenges MultiChoice, SuperSport Over Rugby World Cup

eMedia Holdings, the parent company of e.tv, is taking legal action against SuperSport due to a dispute over broadcasting the 2023 Rugby World Cup on its satellite TV service, Openview.

MultiChoice and SuperSport obtained the rights to broadcast the 2023 Rugby World Cup on SuperSport channels. 

However, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) managed to secure sublicensing rights by paying R57 million to SuperSport. This deal allowed SABC to show 16 out of the 48 matches on its TV channels.

The problem arises because MultiChoice, the parent company of DStv and competitor to Openview, is preventing SABC from showing the Rugby World Cup matches it acquired from SuperSport on the Openview platform. 

MultiChoice argues that it doesn’t want content it paid for to be available for free on a competing satellite TV service.

On the other hand, eMedia Holdings, which owns Openview, believes that SABC, as a public broadcaster, should make its content accessible to all South Africans, regardless of the distribution platform.

eMedia has now taken legal action by filing papers in the high court against MultiChoice and SuperSport. They have also placed full-page ads in newspapers, expressing their disagreement with the situation.

In response, MultiChoice has stated that they consider the legal action to be without merit and will oppose it.

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We understand that eMedia Holdings is taking legal action against MultiChoice and SuperSport concerning the broadcasting of the 2023 Rugby World Cup on Openview.

MultiChoice and SuperSport secured the rights to broadcast the Rugby World Cup on SuperSport channels, and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) got sub-licensing rights for 16 matches by paying R57 million to SuperSport.

The problem arises because MultiChoice, which owns DStv and competes with Openview, is preventing SABC from showing the matches on Openview, arguing it shouldn’t be available for free on a rival satellite TV service.

eMedia Holdings, as Openview’s owner, believes SABC, as a public broadcaster, should make its content accessible to all South Africans, regardless of the platform.

This legal action is part of a larger conflict between eMedia and MultiChoice regarding content distribution.

It’s essential to note that MultiChoice views the legal action as without merit and intends to oppose it. The situation is complex, and we will continue to monitor developments closely.