The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced that SuperSport International (Pty) Limited has secured a new broadcast and digital deal for global cricket tournaments across 52 territories in Africa. The deal will see the continuation of the successful partnership between ICC and SuperSport in the Sub-Saharan region since 2007.
SuperSport has 22.1 million subscribers across 52 territories, providing an excellent platform to grow the cricket fan base and engage more people with cricket in Africa, in line with the global growth strategy for the sport. The new direct deal includes the next eight years of rights for all matches of the 12 men's senior events until the end of 2031, including the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027, which will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia for the first time since 2003.
The partnership will also cover all matches for the next four years of women's events, following the success of the recent 2023 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in South Africa, which saw a significant increase in interest and left a lasting legacy for women's cricket. All matches of both men's and women's U19 World Cups will also be covered as part of the deal.
Geoff Allardice, ICC Chief Executive, said, "Following the hugely successful ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023 and the legacy left for women's cricket in South Africa, I am confident that this strategic partnership will play a major part in building the momentum for women's sport in the region too."
Marc Jury, CEO of MultiChoice South Africa, expressed his excitement about the new deal, saying, "We are delighted to have secured another deal with the ICC, continuing our excellent partnership. We are excited to deliver ICC cricket coverage to Africa for the next few years and provide new experiences for fans across the continent."
ICC stated that there was significant growth in South Africa viewership for the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup event, shattering past records with an increase of 790% of fans tuning in to support the World Cup compared to 2020. Fans will be able to access all ICC major event content via the DStv app.