Publications
Partners
Cape Town - The SABC did not broadcast the first Test between the Springboks and England in Durban on Saturday after negotiations broke down with SuperSport.
GALLERY: All the best sporting pics from the weekend
Instead of showing a delayed broadcast of the game at 18:30 on SABC2, as advertised, an episode of Smallville was shown, which resulted in outrage from rugby fans on social media networks.
The match kicked-off at 17:00.
SABC spokesperson Kaiser Kganyago told the Weekend Argus that events would often be placed in the TV guide to reserve space, even when the right to broadcast them were still being negotiated.
Kganyago added that the SABC was "hopeful" it could obtain the rights to the second and third Tests of the series.
South Africa won the first Test 22-17.
The second Test will be played in Johannesburg on Saturday, with the final match in the series scheduled for Port Elizabeth on June 23.
Meanwhile prospects of the last two Tests being shown in delayed form by the SABC seemed to improve with an assurance by primary broadcast rights-holders SuperSport that they would still be open to talks.
Communications manager Clinton van der Berg told Sport24 on Monday: “Please be assured that SuperSport made every effort to ensure that the (Durban) match was made available on the same basis that it usually is.
“The same will apply if the SABC engages with us this weekend.”
GALLERY: All the best sporting pics from the weekend
Instead of showing a delayed broadcast of the game at 18:30 on SABC2, as advertised, an episode of Smallville was shown, which resulted in outrage from rugby fans on social media networks.
The match kicked-off at 17:00.
SABC spokesperson Kaiser Kganyago told the Weekend Argus that events would often be placed in the TV guide to reserve space, even when the right to broadcast them were still being negotiated.
Kganyago added that the SABC was "hopeful" it could obtain the rights to the second and third Tests of the series.
South Africa won the first Test 22-17.
The second Test will be played in Johannesburg on Saturday, with the final match in the series scheduled for Port Elizabeth on June 23.
Meanwhile prospects of the last two Tests being shown in delayed form by the SABC seemed to improve with an assurance by primary broadcast rights-holders SuperSport that they would still be open to talks.
Communications manager Clinton van der Berg told Sport24 on Monday: “Please be assured that SuperSport made every effort to ensure that the (Durban) match was made available on the same basis that it usually is.
“The same will apply if the SABC engages with us this weekend.”
