SuperSport goes HD with English Premiership

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Danette Breitenbach

From 1pm Friday 13 August 2010, SuperSport will offer the English Premier League 24 hours per day, in High Definition and will broadcast across the whole of sub-Saharan Africa, with live commentary in both English and Portuguese. All 380 matches, 180 of them live will be broadcast annually in a three-year deal.

The Premiership has traditionally enjoyed high viewership ratings on SuperSport and this commercial arrangement is expected to amplify the league's popularity.

"South Africa will be one of the very first countries to receive the 24-hour channel," said Imtiaz Patel, CE of SuperSport. "High Definition is the way to go for sports viewing and we are delighted to be leading the way with our partners in England."

Apart from eight live matches per week, there will be four weekly magazine shows, 400 classic matches, plus a review of the past decade and the best goals from the past 10 seasons. Commentators and analysts include Andy Townsend, Gareth Southgate, Alan Curbishley, Rob Lee, Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Martin Keown, Craig Burley and Iain Dowie.

Major matches will enjoy a 45-minute buildup from the UK, plus there will be match interviews and reactions, a Saturday review and match of the week. In addition, there will be a Fan Zone to field international calls, daily news shows and a news ticker on non-live matches - making the new HD channel the ultimate stop for fans of the Premiership. Programming will continue in the 12-week off-season.