Being an addict of televised soccer something hit me when I was watching The Premier League World programme on DSTV. I was marvelling at the very high production values that this show demonstrates. Everything, from the theme music to the special effects and player graphics is simply world-class. You can see that it is a show designed for a very demanding global audience.

Even the segments are very well thought out like the Magic Numbers Section when numbers scroll on the screen and end up on what seems a random number. Then the show features a subject that is relevant to that number. The research behind the show is faultless and you gain very interesting insights when you watch the show. Clever editing enables the viewer to see the highlights of the past week’s matches in a fresh light.

Unfortunately, there is a contrast when you watch our local soccer shows also on DSTV. The actual concepts behind the shows are very good but something is lost in the production. Here I am talking of shows like PSL Kings and Mzansi Legends. Yes, there are informative and they are okay to watch – but that’s just the problem – they are just okay.

I am not saying that local is not ‘lekker’ but the shows give me the impression that they are only really geared for the black South African viewers which in itself is not a bad thing. my only criticism is that the shows could have a bit more of a universal feel to them. The soundtracks are very esoteric to the YFM target market. One of the Supersport promos for the Super Diski show is a Trompies Kwaito track. Although it has a thumping pulsating vibe it is not a genre that is universally popular even in South Africa.

Even the name of the show is proof of its very narrow audience focus. How many people outside our townships know what ‘iDiski’ is – how many white South Africans know what this is.

Supersport are doing a lot for local soccer and they have raised the profile of our game quite a lot but there is a lot of room for improvement as far as the local shows are concerned. The format of the Mzansi Legends is very linear and boring. Compare this with the Cult Heroes section from the Premier League World and the difference is enormous.

Most of our legends are not good performers in front of the camera anyway so this should be disguised with clever camera shots and editing to make it more visually appealing. We should be producing shows that are world-class. The question is, do you think Supersport would ever dare try and market these shows globally? I don’t think so.

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Lennox Nhando wrote 61 articles on this blog.

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