AFCON 2023: Why you cannot watch it on DSTV

Exciting is peaking with just days until the delayed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Ivory Coast, West Africa. AFCON 2023 is eagerly anticipated to be a huge gathering of footballing powers. Supposed minnows are prized to give their big-name counterparts a run for their money. This excitement will be enjoyed via TV by the hundreds of millions who can’t be in the stadiums. All who expected to follow it on SuperSports-owned channels will, however, miss out on the fun as the broadcaster announced it won’t telecast matches.

The South African satellite TV will not be present for AFCON 2023 after losing the bid as the official broadcaster. CAF awarded the bid to Togo-based New World TV for three years meaning the AFCON rights for sub-Saharan Africa will not be available to the famed South African broadcaster.

In a statement to pre-inform its subscribers ahead of the tournament’s commencement, SuperSports said it did not secure the rights for the tournament.

“SuperSport Channel will not broadcast the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 scheduled for January 13th – February 11th, 2024, because the channel has not secured the rights to broadcast the tournament.

According to the statement, “AFCON 2023 games will be available through our partner broadcast stations on Free to Air (FTA) channels”.

Despite losing the bid for the broadcasting rights of Africa’s most celebrated football tournament, SuperSports assured it is committed to providing the best of football coverage for fans in the region.

“Multichoice Africa remains committed to ensuring football fans across Africa continue to enjoy unrivalled access to entertainment and football games available on DStv and GOtv platforms including, the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Zambian Super League and many more of football’s most prestigious competitions.”

The bid for AFCON 2023

In awarding the tournament’s rights to Togo’s New World TV, CAF president Motsepe said “The Media Rights Agreement with New World TV is the biggest investment by a Pan-African broadcaster in CAF’s history.

“We are very proud to partner with such a globally competitive and innovative broadcasting company which has adapted quickly to the changing demands and viewing patterns of the modern football audience.

“New World TV is also introducing new ways of consuming video content through its strong partnerships with various mobile operators and its television networks,” Motsepe said via CAFonline.

The media rights given to New World TV include CAF’s Free-to-Air and Pay-TV English and local language media rights for Sub-Saharan territories for CAF competitions and events from 2023 to 2025.

Where can you watch the AFCON?

For fans hoping to watch the AFCON 2023 matches live, there are several options. Fans for instance can stick to their domestic national broadcasters. But for more information? Check the Guide to watch AFCON 2023.