DStv feels wrath of soccer fans

THOUSANDS of Namibian football fans were left frustrated at the weekend after DStv failed to screen most of the English Premier League (EPL) matches on its SuperSport channels.

Angry football fans on Saturday even confronted MultiChoice Namibia’s General Manager, Kobus Bezuidenhout, at his Eros-based office to vent their frustrations about the lack of EPL coverage. Most expressed dissatisfaction at the failure of MultiChoice Namibia to inform them in advance about their inability to screen the matches, which are hugely popular and keenly followed by Namibian viewers.When asked for comment, Bezuidenhout told The Namibian that SuperSport will only be able to screen 20 per cent of the over 300 matches played in that league this season – which amounts to 84 matches.He said no single pay television channel in sub-Saharan Africa will be able to screen all the premiership games.According to Bezuidenhout, the premiership television rights for this season were tiered into three packages – 80 per cent, 20 per cent and 10 per cent of the matches.Gateway Television (GTV), based in the United Kingdom, secured the 80 per cent package, but only broadcasts in three African countries – Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.He said SuperSport had to tender for the broadcasting rights, but GTV outbid them and they had to be satisfied with the 20 per cent stake.Bezuidenhout said SuperSport put in a bid four times higher than their previous bid, but he estimates that GTV paid six times what SuperSport paid previously.He said SuperSport will show several other leagues such as the French, Spanish, Portuguese and South African leagues.When asked which particular EPL matches, Bezuidenhout said the English Premiership was handling the matches and SuperSport would show what was offered to them.This means there will only be one match on Saturdays and another on Sundays, and SuperSport will not have a say in which matches they can screen.”Unfortunately the situation is out of our hands, but it will only be fair if people understand our predicament,” he said.Asked why South Africa received the full EPL package, Bezuidenhout said the Premier League had split the African broadcasting rights into two regions – South Africa and the rest of Africa.SuperSport’s bid for the South African rights was unopposed and it will be able to broadcast all the matches there.Bezuidenhout said viewers were informed of the new development via DStv newsletters and electronic mail messages sent to the decoders of subscribers.The message apparently did not reach all subscribers, he said.Bezuidenhout said some viewers might cancel their DStv subscriptions, but by yesterday there had been no disconnections.”I understand the frustrations of people and that a lot of them are ardent EPL followers, but I think there are a lot of other channels that we offer besides football,” he said.The Namibian was flooded with calls on Saturday, while others sent messages to our SMS service.Most expressed dissatisfaction at the failure of MultiChoice Namibia to inform them in advance about their inability to screen the matches, which are hugely popular and keenly followed by Namibian viewers.When asked for comment, Bezuidenhout told The Namibian that SuperSport will only be able to screen 20 per cent of the over 300 matches played in that league this season – which amounts to 84 matches. He said no single pay television channel in sub-Saharan Africa will be able to screen all the premiership games.According to Bezuidenhout, the premiership television rights for this season were tiered into three packages – 80 per cent, 20 per cent and 10 per cent of the matches.Gateway Television (GTV), based in the United Kingdom, secured the 80 per cent package, but only broadcasts in three African countries – Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.He said SuperSport had to tender for the broadcasting rights, but GTV outbid them and they had to be satisfied with the 20 per cent stake.Bezuidenhout said SuperSport put in a bid four times higher than their previous bid, but he estimates that GTV paid six times what SuperSport paid previously.He said SuperSport will show several other leagues such as the French, Spanish, Portuguese and South African leagues.When asked which particular EPL matches, Bezuidenhout said the English Premiership was handling the matches and SuperSport would show what was offered to them.This means there will only be one match on Saturdays and another on Sundays, and SuperSport will not have a say in which matches they can screen.”Unfortunately the situation is out of our hands, but it will only be fair if people understand our predicament,” he said.Asked why South Africa received the full EPL package, Bezuidenhout said the Premier League had split the African broadcasting rights into two regions – South Africa and the rest of Africa.SuperSport’s bid for the South African rights was unopposed and it will be able to broadcast all the matches there.Bezuidenhout said viewers were informed of the new development via DStv newsletters and electronic mail messages sent to the decoders of subscribers.The message apparently did not reach all subscribers, he said.Bezuidenhout said some viewers might cancel their DStv subscriptions, but by yesterday there had been no disconnections.”I understand the frustrations of people and that a lot of them are ardent EPL followers, but I think there are a lot of other channels that we offer besides football,” he said.The Namibian was flooded with calls on Saturday, while others sent messages to our SMS service.