SA Rugby supports SABC in 'critically important' Springbok broadcasting fracas

SA Rugby (SARU) has backed the South African Broadcasting Corporation's (SABC) decision to halt its planned broadcast of the Springboks' matches against Ireland.

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SARU president Mark Alexander emphasised that although the union desires Bok matches to be aired on the national broadcaster, this temporary suspension is essential for the sport's long-term sustainability.

At the centre of this dispute is a recent Competition Tribunal order allowing eMedia to broadcast SABC's coverage of Springbok matches on its Openview platform without compensating the SABC, which had already paid SuperSport for the broadcasting rights.

"This may appear to be a minor and obscure issue to the general public, but it is critically important to the Springboks and the future of rugby in South Africa, affecting not just the broadcasters but the sport itself," Alexander said in a statement on Thursday.

He warned that extending the six-month order would severely undermine the financial model supporting South African rugby, which has been key to producing consecutive Rugby World Cup-winning teams.

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Alexander clarified that SuperSport and the SABC had a legitimate agreement to broadcast the highly anticipated series against Ireland.

"To be clear, this is not a conflict between SuperSport and the SABC - they had a contract in place to broadcast the matches based on appropriate commercial terms," he said.

Alexander explained that eMedia's demand to broadcast the rugby on OVHD without financial contribution disrupted this agreement.

"eMedia's attempts to end exclusivity in sports