Johannesburg - The Premier Soccer League (PSL) on Friday
signed a five-year television rights deal worth more than R2bn with the
country's satellite channel SuperSport, part of the continent's biggest media
company Naspers [JSE:NPN].
PSL chairperson Irvin Khoza said the deal, which starts next
season, puts the South African league in the Top 10 of worldwide earners from the
sale of television rights.
"The winning tender... offered a composite package that
includes internet and mobile rights," Khoza told a news conference.
"We need to be clear that it wasn't just the money that
influenced us but (we) looked at the growth and enhancement of our product on
our current deal, where we moved from being 30th ranked league in the world to
the top 10."
The deal extended an existing five-year deal for which
SuperSport paid R1.6bn in 2007. This season, which ends in May next year, is
the last of the current agreement.
SuperSport won an acrimonious rights tussle with the SABC in 2007, but this time the cash-strapped state broadcaster's spokesperson
Kaizer Kganyago said it did not have the financial power to challenge for the
rights.
SuperSport sub-licenses matches to the SABC, and broadcasts
an average of seven live matches per week.
*Fin24 is a Naspers publication.