Publications
Partners
Cape Town - Cricket South Africa (CSA) has committed to another four-year deal with commercial rights holder of the Mzansi Super League (MSL), Global Sports Commerce (GSC).
The renewed partnership was announced by CSA on Monday, with the agreement now running through until 2023.
The Singapore-based company will hold all commercial rights to the MSL, excluding the teams themselves, and will be the official broadcast and digital rights holder for the league outside of South Africa.
The announcement will do little to extinguish the existing concerns that are hovering over the league currently, though.
Locally, CSA is set to hand the broadcasting rights to the cash-strapped SABC for a second year running while there are still no major title sponsors announced for the second edition of the tournament.
So far, no new overseas-based players have been announced for the 2019 edition of the tournament either, while there are still concerns over crowd attendances given what the tournament experienced in its first edition in 2018.
Still, CSA CEO Thabang Moroe believes that the extended partnership with GSC is good news for the MSL.
"They are a significant global brand that has put its faith in our administration, our governance and our players for a considerable period of time," he said via a CSA statement.
"As their name indicates, GSC have a global sporting presence as a major player in the organization of sporting events around the world and already have considerable experience of South African sport through their investment in Megapro and Megaview.
"They made a significant contribution to getting the MSL off to a winning start last year and will again play a major role as we build on those advances in MSL 2.0."
GSC CEO MS Muralidharan, meanwhile, committed to making the MSL a visually appealing product.
"The GSC family, including its South Africa-based affiliates, Megapro and Megaview, will bring to the event its global technology expertise with cutting edge technologies in Television/Content Production, Event Presentation and Immersive fan experience," he said.
"GSC is committed to providing to the Fans of Cricket - In the Stadium, On the Move and on the Couch - an unmatched visual experience. The brands associated with the event, brought in by its premier commercial arm, ITW Consulting, will gain a superior return on their investment."
Compiled by: Lloyd Burnard
