Owners of Hisense smart TVs in South Africa can now watch a new free sports channel that runs 24 hours a day. The channel, called SportsCast Africa, is available on the VIDAA operating system used on Hisense TVs.
Hisense South Africa announced the launch on Thursday. The company said the channel would be available from 8 October through the TV Channels feature on VIDAA.
“The channel carries premium continental and global sports news, highlights, and live events and is free to watch with no subscription, no sign-in, and no additional app to download,” Hisense said.
According to Hisense, the schedule will cover international football, motorsport, basketball, rugby and tennis. The focus is on daily sports shows. Live matches and events will also be added during the year.
Football fans can watch shows such as Football Daily, Soccer Highlights and SportsWrap. Motorsport fans get Pole Position. Basketball has Slam Dunk, and tennis has Cross Court.
The channel is run by Broadsmart, a media and telecommunications company based in Johannesburg. Viewers do not need to sign in or download an app to use it.
“Our promise is simple: great sport, whenever and wherever you want it, free and with nothing to install,” said Yokow Quansah, managing director of Broadsmart.
Quansah said Broadsmart was working with content providers to offer free sports content around the clock to Hisense smart TV owners. “This is a meaningful step in building a genuinely free sports service for African viewers,” he said.
Hisense said the move followed the channel’s popularity on its TVs. “Hisense devices already account for the majority of SportsCast Africa’s connected-TV viewing, making native carriage on the platform a natural next step,” the company said.
Luna Nortje, deputy general manager of Hisense South Africa, said the launch meant local customers could enjoy the sport they love without paying extra.
SportsCast Africa will stay on its current distribution platforms. These include connected TV and FAST services in the region.
The new channel joins other free sports options in South Africa, such as the SABC+ streaming platform. In August, the SABC said SABC+ had passed three million registered users.
SABC+ offers free sports streaming. It often replays content licensed by the broadcaster and shows some live games from big sporting events.
The platform drew large numbers during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. During the opening match between South Africa and Mexico, it collapsed after a last-minute update to its content encryption system.
“This resulted in system instability and a second reset before the platform was stabilised,” the SABC said at the time.
According to the broadcaster, 477,000 people watched that match at the same time at its peak. That was nearly three times the SABC’s previous record. More than 2.4 million viewers were recorded on SABC+ by the end of the match.
Source: this article is based on reporting by MyBroadband. Image: MyBroadband. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Sports desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Tiyani Mathebula writes about sport for Tzaneen Voice. Tiyani covers Bafana Bafana, the Springboks, the Proteas and the PSL, along with athletics, tennis and local club sport. Match reports and previews focus on results, team news, fixtures and what each game means for South African teams and fans.