In good time for the World Cup, Bundesliga football can now be watched all over the African continent, including World Cup host country South Africa.
The German football league's sales & distribution subsidiary, DFL Sports Enterprises, has closed a
comprehensive agreement with leading sports channel SuperSport, a subsidiary of MultiChoice, which broadcasts out of South Africa to its DStv subscribers in over 40 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Under the contract, SuperSport will show up to four live fixtures per matchweek as well as the preview show "GOAL! - The Bundesliga Magazine", and will also air other special Bundesliga programming.
The partnership starts with the live broadcast of Friday's match between 1899 Hoffenheim and Borussia Mönchengladbach starring Hoffenheim's popular African players Chinedu Obasi, Demba Ba and Isaac Vorsah, and will initially run until the end of the 2011/12 season. The parties have agreed not to disclose any financial terms.
"We are very proud to have gained Africa's leading sports broadcaster SuperSport as a partner, as Bundesliga coverage is now guaranteed throughout the continent hosting the World Cup. This deal now assures the presence of the Bundesliga in all FIFA member states" says Dr Robert Niemann, CEO of DFL Sports Enterprises GmbH.
"The cooperation with SuperSport is not only highly attractive from a licensing point of view, but also and primarily because of its strategic contents for strengthening the Bundesliga brand at an international level. German professional football in Africa is now placed on an equivalent broadcast platform with FIFA and UEFA competitions, the Champions League, English Premier League and Spanish Primera Division," agrees Jörg Daubitzer, COO of DFL Sports Enterprises GmbH.
"We're delighted with this acquisition," said Imtiaz Patel, SuperSport's Chief Executive Officer. "The
Bundesliga is growing from strength to strength and will provide our subscribers with another prime football property to enjoy. This is in line with MultiChoice's commitment to providing its DStv subscribers with world-class sporting action through the continually evolving SuperSport channels. We see the relationship we have entered into with DFL Sports Enterprises as a long-term partnership," Patel explained.
SuperSport was founded 20 years ago and is the leading subscription television broadcaster in (Sub-Saharan) Africa, through Multichoice. It shows all important football events such as the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA, Champions and Europa Leagues, the FA Cup, English Premier League and Spanish Primera Division (La Liga), as well as other top sporting events. It provides 24 sports channels across Africa to around 3.5 million subscribers. SuperSport is a wholly owned subsidiary of MultiChoice, which is owned by the MIH Group, owned by the media group Naspers, listed on the Johannesburg and London Stock Exchanges.
