Canal+ Cuts 2026 Winter Olympics From SuperSport, Leaving African Viewers Without Coverage

The Story⚡

DStv subscribers in sub-Saharan Africa have no SuperSport coverage of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, even as the continent fields its largest-ever contingent of athletes at the Games.

Tell Me More

Canal+—which has owned MultiChoice since September 2025—did not acquire the broadcast rights for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics (6–22 February) in sub-Saharan Africa. This is the first time in decades that SuperSport has not carried Winter Olympic coverage for DStv subscribers.

Sports rights decisions are now centralised in Paris by Canal+’s group content division. No public announcement was made by MultiChoice or SuperSport before the Games began, and subscribers received no notification ahead of February renewals.

Only after a media enquiry did SuperSport release a statement:

“SuperSport, a MultiChoice company, wishes to clarify to our viewers that the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics are not included in our content offering. For the 2026 Winter Games, SuperSport did not acquire the broadcast rights for the territories in which we operate. Our content strategy remains focused on delivering the most-watched sporting codes on the continent.”

The absence of coverage comes as Africa is represented by a record 14 athletes from eight nations, surpassing the 13 who competed at PyeongChang 2018. The total was expected to reach 15, but Kenyan skier Sabrina Simader withdrew before the Games due to reported issues with Kenya’s Olympic committee.

Despite limited access to winter training facilities and the high costs of cold-weather sports, these athletes are competing in Italy across several disciplines. South Africa has the largest delegation with five athletes in four sports. Morocco and Madagascar each have two athletes, while Benin, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Kenya, and Eritrea are each represented by one athlete. For Benin and Guinea-Bissau, this marks their first appearance at a Winter Olympics.

This decision follows other recent removals of sports content from SuperSport, including local events such as the Philly’s Games football tournament in Thembisa in December 2025. It also contrasts with earlier statements from Canal+ executives, including CEO Maxime Saada and Canal+ Africa CEO David Mignot, who had assured subscribers that the takeover would not reduce DStv content and would deliver more programming in 2026.

In Summary

By declining rights to lower-viewership events like the Winter Olympics, Canal+ appears to be pursuing tighter cost control and a sharper focus on high-audience sports that drive subscriptions and revenue in sub-Saharan Africa.

The immediate aim is clear: reduce expenses on niche content amid pay-TV pressures and protect margins after the MultiChoice takeover, but alienating subscribers during a period of record African participation, and pushing viewers toward competitors like StarTimes (which secured the regional rights) could accelerate churn and weaken DStv’s long-term position in a competitive market.