SABC says sorry for major FIFA World Cup disruption
South Africans watching the first 2026 FIFA World Cup match via SABC’s channels on Thursday, 11 June, experienced a major disruption just before kick-off.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) apologised for the disruption, explaining that it was caused by a content encryption update that required users to log in to their profiles again.
“The SABC acknowledges the disruption experienced by SABC+ users last night during the FIFA World Cup match between South Africa and Mexico,” said the broadcasting group.
“The SABC apologises to the viewers who were inconvenienced by this outage,” said the SABC.
The SABC said the content encryption update had to be implemented on the SABC+ platform, which it said is standard for broadcasting major international sporting events.
This update required resetting the platform’s functionality, so some users needed to log in again.
Shortly before kick-off, a high volume of users attempted to log in and verify access simultaneously, which the broadcaster said placed unprecedented strain on the system.
This resulted in system instability and a second reset before the platform was stabilised.
“SABC+ gradually stabilised approximately ten minutes before halftime. We recognise that the app update notice issued shortly before kick-off added to viewer frustration, and we acknowledge that the timing of this communication fell short of what our viewers deserve,” said the SABC.
The broadcasting group said that technical teams had conducted a full review of the incident and are implementing measures to strengthen platform capacity and login infrastructure ahead of upcoming matches.
It also said that its teams were reviewing internal communication protocols to ensure viewers are notified of any necessary updates with appropriate lead time. The group said the demand was unprecedented.
SABC+ achieved a peak concurrency of 477,000 simultaneous users, nearly three times its previous record. There were 18 million attempted logins and a total of 2.4 million viewers by the end of the match.
The group said that the high demand highlights the significant role SABC+ plays for South Africans, providing “free and universal access” to major national events like the FIFA World Cup.
The SABC said it remains committed to ensuring that all South Africans have reliable access to SABC+ during the FIFA World Cup and appreciates viewers’ patience and ongoing support.
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