SuperSport is ditching channel numbers in new line-up

MultiChoice Group is ditching the channel numbers on its vast SuperSport line-up and introducing football on what is currently known as SuperSport 1 but which will soon be renamed as SuperSport Grandstand.

The changes will be implemented with effect from 1 September, the pay-television broadcaster said in a statement on Monday. The numbered channels will be replaced with a “thematic offering around individual sports to ensure it is easier for viewers to find their favourite sports”.

Special, dedicated channels will now be broadcast for specific leagues and sports, among them the Premier Soccer League, the Premier League, La Liga, rugby, cricket, golf, tennis and motorsport. Each category will now have a “home to call its own”. In additional to live sport, these new channels will offer magazine shows and highlights.

Expanding on its plans for SuperSport Grandstand, the SuperSport 1 replacement, MultiChoice said: “This flagship channel will host the best of any live curated sport available to DStv Premium customers at any one time, including soccer, rugby, cricket, golf and tennis.”

The shake-up comes after MultiChoice last week said it would add two sports channels from US broadcaster ESPN.

Explaining the rationale for the changes, SuperSport CEO Gideon Khobane said: “The changes will mean that additional SuperSport channels of local and international sporting content will be added to the DStv package. Genre channelling will no doubt increase awareness of a broader range of content, which may have always been on the platform, but wasn’t necessarily easy to discover. This signals a radical change designed to make content discovery more seamless.”

MultiChoice said it conducted exhaustive market research that showed viewers would prefer to enjoy the sport of their choice on a dedicated, named channel.  — © 2020 NewsCentral Media