Shock as DStv Premiership Viewership Numbers Show an Alarming Decline

• Viewership ratings have fallen in local football since the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country and the subsequent lockdown
• This comes at a time when football spectators and politicians are demanding that fans be let back into stadiums after a near-two year absence
• The report was compiled by television ratings company Nielsen, which also factored in things like load shedding for the decline

The Premier Soccer League and Multichoice will have a lot to think about after ratings for local football matches showed surprising numbers.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, fans have not been allowed into venues as a result of the pandemic. Footballs fans and politicians are now speaking about reverting to the pre-Covid status quo.

Two years after stadium lockouts began, a decline in viewership on television has emerged, according to KickOff. This was based on a study which emerged in a City Press report on Sunday, which details a the decline reported across most sports on tv.

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The report revealed, according to Nielsen managing director Jean Willers:

"Using the Orlando Pirates versus Kaizer Chiefs Soweto derby as a benchmark, sports analytics firm Nielsen Sport compiled a study to see how audience behaviour had changed during the pandemic. The last Soweto derby match with fans in attendance, in February 2020, was watched on TV by 9.8 million people.

"In contrast, the most recent derby – in November – had a viewership of only 4.2 million. Load shedding implemented by Eskom was also a factor in the decline, according to the report. About 7.3 million people watched the Soweto showdown in March last year."

Willers added that a whole lot of complex factors were the reason why people were moving away from the box to do other things.

He added:

"When people aren’t allowed to go to stadiums and there’s also no electricity to watch TV, you can expect the numbers to be severely affected. Unless some sort of normality is restored, the research paints a picture of an industry in rapid decline."

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The Economic Freedom Fighters are not joking about forcing the hand of the powers-that-be to reopen stadiums to the public.

As reported on Sports Brief, EFF leader Julius Malema spoke at a party rally last weekend, imploring president Cyril Ramaphosa and the government to prioritise letting spectators watch their favourite teams.

This time around, the South African Football Association, Premier Soccer League, Department of Sports and Recreation and Multichoice found themselves in his cross-hairs.