Soweto derby goes global
The Absa Premiership Soweto Derby, which features two of the country’s most celebrated teams Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, is going to the global audience.
This was confirmed by the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and broadcast rights holders, SuperSport on Friday.
ESPN Star Sports will broadcast the match in various countries in Asia, while the feed will also be supplied to four ESPN broadband platforms, representing 19 countries.
The match will be shown by ESPN in Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand and the US. In the US alone, the ESPN platform represents 79 million homes.
The match will also be broadcast on Sports Tonight Live in the United Kingdom (UK) on Sky and Freeview. The Sky feed reaches over 12 million homes, while Freeview boasts five million connected televisions in the UK. Sky Sports News will also be covering the fixture in its bulletins in both the UK and throughout the world.
The match will also be shown on SuperSport’s Africa platform, which reaches 50 countries in sub-Sahara Africa.
The two Soweto giants – whose rivalry can be traced back to the break-away of Kaizer Chiefs from Orlando Pirates in the early 1970s, will clash at the FNB Stadium. So eagerly-anticipated is this derby that it was sold out more than 14 days ago.
PSL Acting CEO, Cambridge Mokanyane said: “Few months ago, the PSL chairman, Dr Irvin Khoza spoke of a vision to take the PSL to world stage; this is part of that goal. The PSL as a brand is growing and we are excited about this initiative that will see the Absa Premiership Soweto derby watched by millions across the globe. There can be no better advertising of our professional football.”
Happy Ntshingila, CEO of SuperSport said: “We are delighted to make this broadcast available worldwide. It is an endorsement of the PSL’s growth and recognition of the world class broadcast standard produced by SuperSport. The stage is set for a magnificent match and we are thrilled to be a part of it.”
Ntshingila confirmed that Saturday’s global feed would be the biggest for a domestic event – World Cups excluded – in SuperSport’s 25-year history.
