It would have cost the SABC more than R400m to broadcast the 2019 Rugby World Cup starting in Japan this week – and the limping public broadcaster simply does not have the cash.
Its bosses felt the costs for the broadcasting rights were exorbitant and would not have been a commercially viable decision, parliamentarians heard on Tuesday.
“Even with the rugby rights when it comes to radio, the price that was put on the table was just as exorbitant, and as much as we are committed to broadcasting sports of national interest, we could not allow a situation where we get into a deal that is not financially viable,” said SABC group chief executive Madoda Mxakwe.
He was answering questions from concerned MPs a day after the SABC announced it had been unable to reach a sub-licence agreement with SuperSport for the television broadcast of the World Cup.
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