Millions of South African football fans will be unable to watch the opening matches of the 2026-27 Betway Premiership season on SABC television this weekend after the broadcaster confirmed it has not yet finalised a sub-licensing agreement with CANAL+.
The new PSL season begins on Saturday, 1 August, but no live Betway Premiership fixtures will be shown on SABC TV. The public broadcaster said it expects to begin televising the competition from 15 August, provided negotiations with CANAL+ are successfully concluded.
The disruption applies only to SABC’s television coverage. Supporters will still be able to follow the matches through the broadcaster’s SABC Radio stations in the meantime.
In a statement released on Friday, the SABC apologised to its audiences and said discussions with CANAL+ were continuing in a positive manner.
“The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) regrets to inform its audiences that it will not broadcast the opening fixtures of the 2026/27 Betway Premiership season, scheduled for Saturday, 1 August 2026,” reads part of the statement.
“The negotiations regarding the PSL sub-licensing agreement remain ongoing, and while discussions with CANAL+ continue to progress positively, the agreement has not yet been finalised.
“The SABC remains committed to concluding the outstanding agreement as soon as possible and, subject to its successful conclusion, anticipates commencing Betway Premiership broadcasts from 15 August 2026.
“Despite this temporary delay, the SABC is delighted to announce the successful conclusion of its agreement with CANAL+ for the broadcast of the 2026 MTN8 tournament, ensuring that South African audiences will once again enjoy free-to-air coverage of one of the country’s premier football competitions.”
The agreement means the 2026 MTN8 will remain available to South African viewers through free-to-air coverage, despite the continuing uncertainty surrounding the Betway Premiership broadcast deal.
Attention on the field will be focused on Orlando Pirates, who begin the campaign as defending league champions. The Buccaneers will host Betway Premiership newcomers Milford at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Kick-off is scheduled for 15:00.
Orlando Pirates have been among the busiest clubs in the transfer market and are expected to give some of their new signings an opportunity in the fixture against Milford.
The match is one of the opening fixtures of the 2026-27 PSL season, which starts on 1 August. However, supporters watching on television will have to wait until at least 15 August for the SABC’s planned return to Betway Premiership coverage, subject to the conclusion of its agreement with CANAL+.
The SABC has not indicated that its radio coverage will be affected by the television delay, meaning audiences can continue to track the opening weekend through its radio network.
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