While other 64 countries are viewing live Olympic Games on The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Youtube channels, South Africans are not part of the pack. Most citizens of the country have not understood the reason behind this as most of them expected the fibre-optic internet connection will ease their viewing.
South African users trying to access the “Official Olympic Channel by the IOC” YouTube channel usually get a message: “To watch the Olympics Live in your country, please visit the list of London 2012 Broadcasters”.
The IOC explained in a media statement that the live-streaming on the IOC’s YouTube channel provides access to the London 2012 Olympic Games in “territories where digital broadcast rights have not already been acquired by the IOC’s broadcast partner.”
This means that since SABC, SuperSport, and Maximo are already broadcasting the 2012 London Olympic Games is SA, its Citizens will have to choose one of these alternatives to view the games.
According to SuperSport Communications Manager Clinton van der Berg, SuperSport has exclusive Internet rights in South Africa for the 2012 Olympic Games.
However, SuperSport’s Internet rights are non-exclusive in the rest of Africa, explaining why SA’s neighbors including Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique all have access to the live Olympic YouTube channel.
The International Olympic Committee decided to launch its official YouTube channel for the London 2012 Games, in a bid to increase the game’s viewership all over the globe, recognizing the recent huge developments in the Internet world since the last games were held four years ago.
