Supersport [Finally] Releases AFCON Broadcast Plans

Supersport, Africa's premiere sports broadcaster has finally released details around its broadcast of the 2015 African Cup of Nations that kicks off this weekend.

Each of the 32 matches will have four commentary languages available: English, isiZulu, seTswana and Portuguese. (seTswana replaces Sotho, which was always used for AFCONs and World Cups)

The matches will be broadcast, mainly simulcast, with the exception of when there are concurrent games, across a whopping five channels. This is to allow "all Multichoice's customers to see the matches," which could be seen as them being generous, maybe. Lets see:

• Supersport 4: This is for HD customers throughout the continent as SS7 is not available in HD on DStv's other satellite. This channel is also available in many customers as part of DStv Compact.
• Supersport 7: which is part of DStv Compact and Compact Plus outside of South Africa.
• Supersport 9: which is available on even cheaper DStv packages like Access. Is also DStv's premiere African sports channel.
• Supersport Maximo: For those in Portuguese speaking territories like Mozambique and Angola.
• Supersport Select: This channel is available on Multichoice's GOtv terrestrial television product in other African countries.

That covers every Multichoice subscriber, with the exception of the R29 Easyview subscribers, so the statement that "Afcon to be enjoyed by all Multichoice subscribers" is therefore flawed.

Anyway, back to the coverage plans:
Supersport 4 and SS4HD will be a 24 hour AFCON channel for the duration of the tournament.

SuperSport’s social media platforms and Blitz’s rolling coverage will offer viewers up-to-the-minute match updates, team news and player reactions as well as post-match press conferences.

Supersport's star-studded lineup of experts will be headlined by Marcel Desailly (Ghana), and will include the likes of Daniel Amokachi (Nigeria) and Neil Tovey (South Africa). Samuel Kuffour (Ghana), a Supersport regular, will also be a part of the panel, and so will Benni McCarthy (South Africa), whose performance on Supersport's panel for the last AFCON tournament ensured he did not get a call back for the world cup (but then again everyone deserves a second chance, even if they do not do their homework before a broadcast).

 Supersport will also be running two weekly magazine shows:
Longtime magazine show brand, Masterplan, which was used since the 2010 Soccer World Cup and then subsequently brought back for every major soccer tournament and rugby world cup, will return on Sundays at 4pm. The show will unpack the matches from a more tactical point of view and is for the die hard fans. Supersport stalwart Robert Marawa host.

The other magazine show Supersport will have will be a revival of a brand last used for the 2010 World Cup,The Harambee Show, which will now air Saturdays at 4pm. The show will focus on the fans and the happenings on social networks and also get viewers closer to Equatorial Guinea, the AFCON 2015 host nation. Carol Tshabalala to host.

Every match will be preceded by a one hour build up and followed by a one hour wrap up, where possible (if matches aren't scheduled too close together).

South Africa's Carol Tshabalala and Robert Marawa will anchor the broadcast from Supersport's impressive studio in Johannesburg while Yaw Ampofu-Ankrah (Ghana), host of Supersport's Ghana Premier League show, Franklin Tembo Jnr (Zambia) and Sizwe Mabena, who also anchor's Supersports only weekly pan-African soccer chat show, Soccer Africa, (South Africa) will be providing on the ground coverage, which will include pre- and post match interviews.

Noticeably absent from the Supersport presenter list is Supersport's Nigerian presenter, Charles Anazodo, who usually flies to South Africa to present a few games but it seems as if he will be staying home, along with the Nigerian football team.

Overall, the coverage seems decent, but not all that impressive.