MultiChoice’s about-turn a sponsor blessing in disguise for PSL

Comment by Herman Gibbs

Thanks to the sponsorship of gambling company Betway, the Premier Soccer League’s Premiership will remain the richest league in Africa.

PSL chairman Irvin Khoza finally addressed his organisation’s sponsorship conundrum on Wednesday after it became clear that MultiChoice were ending their Premiership deal.

The cash-strapped PSL did not announce that MultiChoice were pulling out of their five-year deal, but it became apparent last week when they asked clubs to postpone the launch of their kits for the new season.

The sponsorship for the naming rights of the Betway Premiership is worth “about” R900 million over three years. Khoza did not give the exact sponsorship amount, but at R300 million for each of the next three seasons, the Premiership enjoys a significant increase.

The DStv sponsorship came into effect in September 2020, when MultiChoice signed a five-year deal. This sponsorship replaced Absa’s, which was worth R137 million per season.

The value of the DStv sponsorship was never made known, but it was always said that it was more or less the same as Absa’s.

Khoza made it clear that the PSL had a wonderful relationship with MultiChoice and would not hold them accountable for the remaining sponsorship span.

MultiChoice pulled the plug on the sponsorship, even though the deal was only set to end in September next year. Like the PSL, MultiChoice have declined to give reasons for abruptly ending the sponsorship.

As it turned out, MultiChoice’s about-turn has proved to be a blessing in disguise for the PSL. It has forced the organisation to find an alternative headline sponsor for the Premiership, and this has resulted in a better agreement.

Although word was out before Wednesday’s announcement that Betway would be the new sponsor, it was a foregone conclusion that Khoza would be fielding questions about the PSL getting into bed with a gambling company.

In past years, the PSL frowned on clubs doing business with gambling companies.

We are proud to announce @Betway_za as the new title sponsor of the premier division 🤝

The Betway Premiership heralds a new era for football in South Africa and we are looking forward to the upcoming season which will start on 3 August ⚽

— Official PSL (@OfficialPSL) July 24, 2024

Two years ago, Moroka Swallows missed out on lucrative sponsorship because the PSL decided against it, but Khoza on Wednesday was at pains to explain the reasons.

He said the PSL were always clear in their standing on sponsorships from gambling companies. He said that it was also time for the PSL to change their outlook on matters.

The PSL would not have made a good impression on the new sponsors because they did not release a fixture list on Wednesday afternoon, as Khoza had promised during his media conference address.

Khoza said: “The league is starting on August 3 ... we will be issuing the fixtures this afternoon.”

Despite the challenges alcohol and gambling companies face in securing sponsorships of sports teams, Betway have done well to enhance their sporting portfolio with the Premiership deal.

Betway already have a footprint in South Africa’s other major sports. They sponsor the world champion Springboks, as well as the SA20, South Africa’s premier T20 cricket league.