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against Dynamos will not be screened live on Sunday.
PSL board member competitions, Tawengwa Hara confirmed the news.
“The match will not be screened live. Supersport wanted the game to be pushed at the end of the season for it to be beamed live but that too was not possible,” said Hara.
The announcement is a blow to the millions of fans across the country who will not be able to make it to Rufaro Stadium and were hoping to tune into their television sets for a reprieve.
There is no doubt of the huge marketing power that the two Zimbabwean giants have and the fact that the match is a potential championship decider makes it even more lucrative. Highlanders trail their Harare opponents by two points with five matches remaining before the curtain comes down.
A win for Dynamos will most likely end any hopes for Highlanders while the opposite is true, although DeMbare will still be in with a chance even if they lose on Sunday.
So far only four matches, all in Harare, have been screened live with Highlanders having gone to the capital twice since the deal was signed and both times there was no live television broadcast.
The Premiership decision makers signed a five-year deal with the broadcasting giant that will see the league receiving about $120 000 this year alone.
While the money will be shared equally among the league’s 16 teams, it is the marketing prowess which the deal has as matches are broadcast in over 33 countries and enjoys a lot of synergies with other players in the industry the world over. It also motivates players to put an extra effort knowing fully well that their talents stand to be exposed and spotted.
Some clubs have been critical of the deal, with sources indicating that even next year the giant broadcaster will screen just 22 matches out of a possible 240, outside cup games. It means there is a huge possibility that only Harare matches will be screened live.
Online Reporter