SABC launches 24-hour sport channel

The SABC on Thursday night launched its long-awaited 24-hour sport channel under the tagline “Remember the Unforgettable”, referring to the iconic SA successes in the 1996 African Nations’ Cup and 1995 Rugby World Cup.

The national broadcaster’s board chairperson Bongumusa Makhathini promised top-notch local and international content, calling its sport department the centrepiece of its turnaround strategy.

The 24-hour feed will exist as a single channel on digital terrestrial television (DTT), which will be available on a set-top box available at the post office, and on open view decoders and its Telkom 1 streaming platform.

The traditional SABC 1, 2 and 3 channels will choose their sports programming from that, SABC Sport head Gary Rathbone said.

Upcoming events will include the Bafana Bafana friendlies, the Premier Soccer League, the Tokyo Olympics, the Confederation Cup, the Carling Black Label Cup, Formula E, the French Top 14, boxing as well as local cricket, athletics and tennis.