In separate statements at the weekend, the SABC and MultiChoice, which owns SuperSport, announced that last Saturday's T20 Cricket World Cup final, as well as two upcoming rugby test matches between the Springboks and Ireland on 6 and 13 July, would be broadcast on SABC platforms.
However, the agreement restricts the SABC from airing the matches on its channels that are carried on eMedia's platforms - notably on the free-to-air satellite platform Openview.
The SABC is also restricted from streaming the matches on SABC+, its fast-growing streaming platform. But an April ruling by the Competition Tribunal outlawed such agreements between the two broadcasters for a period of six months (or until the Competition Commission decides over an earlier complaint by eMedia in the matter).
eMedia then filed an urgent application to the competition appeal last week - this was reported on for the first time by TechCentral earlier on Tuesday - asking the court to either extend the sublicensing rights the SABC has over the Irish tests to Openview's free-to-air platform or to nullify the agreement between the SABC and SuperSport altogether and stop the SABC from broadcasting the matches.
MultiChoice further slammed eMedia for what it described as the company's 'scorched earth approach". In its application to the competition appeal court, eMedia asked the court to grant it relief by either extending the sublicensing rights granted to the SABC to eMedia's Openview platform or to nullify the agreement between the SABC and MultiChoice so that the Irish tests are not broadcast by the SABC.
