Former Proteas captain and Betway SA20 commissioner Graeme Smith stated that, despite their best efforts to have the SA20 broadcast on SABC this year, they were unable to reach an agreement with the public broadcaster.
The SA20 has become one of the most popular T20 tournaments globally, attracting top international players such as former England Test captain Joe Root, former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, and hard-hitting Australian batsman Marcus Stoinis, among others.
The tournament has also provided young South African cricketers with an opportunity to showcase their talents. The quality of cricket on display has also led to fans from across the country flocking to the stadiums in their numbers to watch the matches.
As the tournament continues to be televised on pay TV broadcaster SuperSport, a huge chunk of the population who cannot afford the fee required to watch the tournament are missing out.
Last year, many underprivileged South Africans also missed out on the T20 World Cup held in the Caribbean and United States, where the Proteas made history by reaching the final for the first time.
However, the public broadcaster managed to air the decider against India after negotiating a last minute deal with SuperSport.
The moment that secured the Paarl Royals "W"! Your @Betway_za Moment of the Match 🔥#BetwaySA20 #PRvMICT #WelcomeToIncredible pic.twitter.com/XoOesbRoIK
— Betway SA20 (@SA20_League) January 15, 2025
In an interview with Bongani Bingwa on 702 Thursday, Smith stated that they, along with SuperSport, attempted to have some content featured on the public broadcaster, but were unable to reach an agreement.
"I have to be honest, we really tried this year along with SuperSport to find a way to get a number of games on the SABC. Unfortunately, from the SABC's side, we could not make it work.
"But it is something that we will continue to work on and hopefully in the future, we can get it on those platforms and hopefully SABC will take it," Smith said
Smith added that since its inception, the SA20 has contributed R4 billion to the South African economy and created 8 500 jobs.
"We have done economic studies after the first two seasons and we brought over R4 billion to the economy, created 8 500 jobs per season. And you know, actually, I have noticed it more this season the amount of people that stop you and say thank you for the tournament. It's just incredible."
IOL Sport