South Africans won’t be able to watch the IPL for the first time since its debut in 2008 after pay-television channel SuperSport announced it had not obtained the rights. Prior to this year, SuperSport aired the entirety of the IPL’s 15 seasons; however, in June, Viacom18 won the Sub-Saharan African rights back from SuperSport.
The rights to Australia, New Zealand, and England were also acquired by Viacom18. Although it has no physical footprint in any of the nations, fans in Australia, New Zealand, and England can watch the IPL thanks to broadcasters who have agreements with Viacom18. In contrast, SuperSport has not.
“SuperSport previously held broadcast rights to the Indian Premier League,” a SuperSport spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo. “Commercial discussions with the rights holder for the next cycle of rights have unfortunately been unsuccessful and SuperSport will therefore not broadcast the IPL as of this year’s edition.”
