Discover Sport, a South African sports app, has launched a broadcast partnership with Padel Time TV to stream padel content to audiences in 120 countries. The agreement provides access to over 500 hours of premium programming, highlighting the sport's growing popularity worldwide. Announced in Johannesburg on March 4, 2026, the partnership aims to connect fans, athletes, and federations globally.
Discover Sport™, a dedicated social media app for sports launched in mid-2025 from South Africa, announced on March 4, 2026, in Johannesburg a new broadcast partnership with Padel Time TV. This collaboration will stream one of the world's fastest-growing racquet sports to viewers across 120 countries via the Discover Sport™ platform.
Padel, described as a dynamic, social, and watchable sport, has seen explosive growth over the past decade. It boasts an estimated 35 million players worldwide and a global market valued at approximately €2 billion. The sport has evolved from a niche European activity into a global phenomenon, with key markets including Spain, Argentina, Italy, and an emerging hub in South Africa, where courts and participation have surged in the last five years.
Stephen Watson, founder of Discover Sport™, emphasized the sport's appeal: “Padel is by far a global connector; its accessibility lies in that it’s fast to learn, social by design, mixed-gender and intergenerational. We’ve seen these qualities drive extraordinary growth in key markets, particularly Spain, Argentina, Italy and increasingly South Africa... It’s remarkable to witness and, of course, we want to give everyone front row seats.”
Watson added, “In South Africa, we’ve already seen a strong appetite for padel content. This new partnership allows us to take what’s working locally and amplify it globally offering world-class padel content through our simple, inclusive and scalable platform.”
Arnaud Verlhac, co-founder of Padel Time TV, stated: “Padel has reached a moment where global visibility matters more than ever. Partnering with Discover Sport™ allows us to reach new audiences in markets where padel is accelerating; where emerging markets are hungry for high-quality content.”
The partnership offers Discover Sport™ members access to more than 500 hours of premium content, including World Padel Tour matches, the Hexagon Cup, Pro Padel League in the USA, Reserve Cup events in Miami, Bullpadel Show exhibitions, FIP Platinum Lyon in France, the Asian Pacific Padel Tour, and coaching materials. Programming will be available in English and Spanish, with localization options.
Since its inception, Discover Sport™ has expanded to over 30 countries, building a track record in racquet sports through prior partnerships with Tennis South Africa (TSA) and the Badminton World Federation. Watson noted: “Whether it’s tennis, badminton or now padel, our role is to remain a reliable, inclusive global aggregator that makes the difference and helps sport to cross borders.” The service launches on March 6, 2026.
