SA Rugby Locks In SuperSport as Broadcaster in Landmark CANAL+ Rights Renewal

South African Rugby (SARU) and the CANAL+ Group have renewed their multi-year domestic broadcast rights agreement, keeping SuperSport as the exclusive home of South African rugby across Sub-Saharan Africa.

SuperSport retains sole broadcast rights to all SARU domestic competitions, as well as Springbok Women's and junior age-group fixtures - continuing a partnership that stretches back more than three decades.

What makes this renewal particularly significant is its timing. It marks the first major sports rights agreement concluded by CANAL+ with a local federation since the French media giant completed its acquisition of MultiChoice Group in September 2025. This shows that t the new ownership intends to move aggressively on African sports content.

SARU President Mark Alexander said: "We are very happy to have concluded our first agreement with the MultiChoice Group and CANAL+ Group after a thorough and extensive series of engagements. They have demonstrated a shared understanding of the importance of rugby to the South African public and we trust this is the first of many such agreements."

CANAL+ Africa CEO David Mignot pointed to rugby's deep cultural roots in South Africa as a key driver of the deal: "As promised, we are doubling down on our investment in local content, including the sports content that matters the most to people on the continent. In the South African market, rugby has grown into becoming a part of the national psyche – as evidenced by the national euphoria that erupted each time the Springboks won the Rugby World Cup."

SA Rugby’s CEO Rian Oberholzer, the renewal underlines how broadcast revenue remains central to the sport's commercial model. "Broadcasting rights are fundamental to the health and sustainability of sport in South Africa and rugby is no different. SuperSport has been a long-standing and trusted partner to South African rugby, and we are delighted to continue our partnership. The world of rugby and broadcasting has changed significantly since we signed our first agreement in the 1990s but it is a testimony to our mutual interests that the partnership continues to endure."

Rendani Ramovha, CANAL+ Director for Sports Content in English and Portuguese-speaking Africa, added: "The renewal of the domestic broadcast agreement is not just the strengthening of our long-standing partnership with SA Rugby but a victory for DStv viewers and subscribers, who have come to trust us to bring the best sports content to them in our world-class broadcast quality. To be able to continue this promise is a proud moment for us, and it reaffirms our commitment to the sports fan. We're grateful to our partners at SA Rugby for their collaborative spirit."

The deal arrives at a pivotal moment for CANAL+, which is still integrating its MultiChoice acquisition and under pressure to demonstrate the value of that investment to African audiences. Securing long-term rights to one of the continent's most commercially valuable sports properties sends a clear message about where the group's content priorities lie.