AfroSport will broadcast all 52 matches of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations from January 13 to February 11, 2024 on Free-to-Air television stations across Nigeria.
Matches will be available on NTA Sports, AIT, Silverbird Television, TVC, Wazobia TV, and Free TV Channel 730.
AfroSport has been explaining how it clinched the exclusive broadcasting rights for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, as Nigeria’s massive football-loving population gets set to enjoy Africa’s foremost football showpiece on television without paying for it
The race for the exclusive broadcasting rights of major tournaments is always fiercely contested, particularly among major broadcast giants. And When the news broke that Sub-Saharan Africa’s major broadcast powerhouse, DSTV/SuperSport, wouldn’t be airing the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote D’Ivoire, shockwaves reverberated through the spines of football fans across the continent.
Accessing all tournament matches would have been expensive, but given the significance of the event, many football fans in Nigeria were willing to pay the price.
Little did Nigerian fans know that AfroSport had been fighting on their behalf for over two months to bring all the matches to their television screens for free.
AfroSport secured the rights to broadcast all tournament matches through New World TV, the new broadcast powerhouse that acquired exclusive rights from CAF. This move aligns with AfroSport’s commitment to ensuring major sporting events are not only enjoyed but also contribute to social development.
In a Thursday press conference in Lagos, chaired by AfroSport Chief Consultant, Mr. Rotimi Pedro, AfroSport exclusively shared its mission and vision beyond AFCON 2023 with the media. Others present included AfroSport Content Consultant, Mr. Deji Omotoyinbo and Executive Director of DAAR Communications, Mr. John Uwarie .
Pedro also explained that AfroSport champions the belief that premium sports should be accessible on free TV, emphasising that sports can be a tool for social development, inspiring young athletes to pursue their dreams.
“In the UK, for example, for all the games are delivered on free TV: all the games of the of the Euros are available on a free TV, all the games of the FA Cup are available on free TV. There’s a reason for that – reason is to develop the next generation of people that will take up this sport, as opposed to keeping it on Sky TV,” Pedro said.
“What we’ve done in Africa, whether by default is to keep the premium sports that motivated the next generation on a premium strategy to 4% of the population of the country. So we are proud to say that we pride ourselves on the back of the fact that we bring it to the widest possible audience for free, and we are championing that fight we have been for the last 25 years. And we believe we will continue to do that in the Africa Cup of Nations this year, it’s no different. We do the same thing over and over again and want to retain the premium sports on free TV. That’s the reason why we’re here. ”
The battle for rights took two months, resulting in 52 matches being available on free TV. AfroSport partnered with Nigerian Television Authority, AIT, Silverbird, TVC, and 20 other broadcasters to deliver signals to the widest possible audience in Nigeria.
Pedro hopes this marks a new beginning for sports broadcasting in Nigeria, urging regulators to strictly enforce laws to ensure free access to live sports.
In closing, he emphasised the fight to justify making sports content free for all and called on regulators to follow the law, allowing all sport-loving Nigerians access to live sports without payment.
