StarTimes Nigeria has been unveiled as the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) official broadcast partner. The partnership will run for five years and is worth N1.060 billion for the first season, with an increment of N50 Million for the subsequent seasons.
Under the deal, StarTimes will air four matches in every round on their pay TV and digital platforms for the first two seasons and increase it to eight matches for the last three seasons.
Speaking at the signing of the partnership on Thursday in Abuja, president of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, expressed his gratitude to StarTimes for dedicating resources towards the development of the league and Nigeria’s football.
“We thank StarTimes for agreeing to partner with us. This partnership will go a long way in improving the league’s visibility and in the long run, making our league even more competitive.
“We are starting with four matches and that is for the first two seasons and in the three seasons they would be showing eight matches in every round.
“If by the grace of God we are able to achieve the target, we will be proud of ourselves and will meet our target of making our league among the top five leagues in Africa,” Gusau said.
According to Gusau, there would be a dedicated channel on StarTimes for NPFL matches. “There is going to be a dedicated channel on StarTimes for our matches. So, you don’t need to go to any channel on StarTime to watch the NPFL matches.
“I think we are moving forward apart from the streaming matches going on, now we have the league on TV which is key because you can’t go to sponsors for their support without having something to give them back. And the only way you can convince them is to give them that visibility to showcase and market their products so that they can recoup their money back.
“If we can get our matches on TV, especially grade A matches, this league will be financially independent of itself and be able to support other leagues.”
NPFL chairman Gbenga Elegbeleye, described the partnership deal as a game changer and valuable addition to the NPFL family.
“We are here to welcome this valuable addition to the NPFL family and we look forward to an exciting time with millions of Nigerian football lovers who have endured the long pain of the absence of our league on TV. I promise that more valuable partners are ready to join the NPFL family as we continue on this trajectory of transparency, strictly to the rules and appropriate sanction…”
The CEO of StarTimes Nigeria, Joshua Wang, said the deal is a win-win situation for both parties and assured the commitment of his organisation to enhance the visibility and popularity of the NPFL, both locally and internationally. We hope that it will also inspire and motivate the players, coaches, and clubs to perform at their best and showcase their talents. We are confident that this partnership will bring more joy and excitement to millions of football fans in Nigeria and beyond,” he said.
“StarTimes is home to a variety of top-flight football competitions across the globe. As a brand devoted to seeing the growth of African entertainment, we are deeply interested in growing and giving equal opportunities to local content. This commitment has led us to partner with several football federations across our African continent. Currently, StarTimes transmits the Rwanda Premier League, Uganda Premier League, Madagascar Orange Pro League, and Ghana Premier League. In these countries, we have seen how popular the leagues are and how locals rush to watch their favourite teams live on the pitch or on TV.”