By Zuko Komisa
The national broadcaster is going to the Competition Commission with its broadcasting dispute with the owners of DStv.
The SABC is now relying on the competition commission to intervene as it fights to increase its revenues after failing to persuade communications regulator Icasa to enact stricter measures to end pay-TV MultiChoice’s monopoly on sports programming.
Kaya Biz with Gugulethu Mfuphi spoke with Jan Vermuelen, My Broadband Editor about the latest development with the sports rights.
LISTEN TO THE FULL CONVERSATION HERE:
Vermeulen shed light on why the complaint was lodged to the Competition Commission.
‘From a Multichoice’s perspective, it pays a lot of money to have exclusive broadcast rights for specific sports, and the exclusive sporting right in question that the SABC lodge a complaint with the Competition Commission and reportedly mentioned SA Rugby, the Premier Soccer League, and South Africa’s local soccer clubs.”
“This is about our various forms of football in the country which are incredibly popular sports and the last time this came up, and the last time this happened PSL warned that this is an incredibly bad idea because Multichoice has money and helps fund the sport as well as the development of the sport in the country,” says Vermuelen.
Also Read: Tributes continue to pour in for late actress Busi Lurayi
SABC communications head Ndindi Cola has confirmed that the complaint has indeed been lodged.
“The SABC can confirm that the Corporation has lodged a complaint with the Competition Commission,”
“At this stage, the matter is handled in that platform and we are not commenting further in the public space”. wrote Cola said in an emailed statement.
READ NEXT: WATCH: Bheki Cele says people with tattoos are gangsters


