CSA extends commercial deal for MSL with Global Sports Commerce
Cricket South Africa has extended its commercial deal with Global Sports Commerce for the Mzansi Super League for another four years.
GSC, which is headquartered in Singapore but has an affiliate office in Johannesburg, was the official commercial and broadcast partner for the inaugural MSL in 2018. The new agreement which runs from 2019 to 2023 grants GSC all commercial rights to the MSL, excluding the teams, and makes GSC the official broadcast and digital rights holder outside South Africa.
GSC has various partnerships with global and Indian brands, and also had a hand in broadcasting the last edition of the Pakistan Super League.
Closer to home, however, CSA have confirmed that local broadcast rights for the second season of the MSL will remain with SABC, South Africa's public broadcaster. The embattled broadcaster last month secured a R 3.2 billion (approx $210 million) bailout from the government but will provide little to no commercial value to CSA locally - making overseas partnerships all the more important.
"It gives us great pleasure to extend our partnership with GSC," CSA Chief Executive Thabang Moroe said. "They are a significant global brand that has put its faith in our administration, our governance and our players for a considerable period of time.
"As their name indicates, GSC have a global sporting presence as a major player in the organization of sporting events around the world and already have considerable experience of South African sport through their investment in Megapro and Megaview," Moroe said. "They made a significant contribution to getting the MSL off to a winning start last year and will again play a major role as we build on those advances in MSL 2.0."
"GSC is delighted to be associated with the MSL," GSC's chief executive MS Muralidharan said. "We see this as a milestone sports asset for Africa as the sole and exclusive International Commercial Partner across Television, Digital, and Event Sponsorship.
"The GSC family, including its South Africa-based affiliates, Megapro and Megaview, will bring to the event its global technology expertise with cutting edge technologies in Television/Content Production, Event Presentation and Immersive fan experience."