Africa

Media365 has been appointed by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) to produce coverage of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations national team football tournament.

Ghana is set for its first free-to-air sports broadcasting platform after telecommunications firm Econet Media acquired the free-television broadcasting and production businesses of multi-territory commercial and pay-television broadcaster Modern Times Group in the country and its fellow African nation Nigeria.

Fox Sports Africa is the latest of the region’s pay-television broadcasters to invest in African football, but the structure of its joint venture with the West African Football Union differs greatly from recent deals struck by its competitors.

The West African Football Union has signed a 12-year rights partnership with international pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports that will also provide a long term injection of investment into infrastructure, training and development across its 16 member countries.

Pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus Afrique has agreed a seven-year deal with the Confederation of African Football and the Lagardère Sports agency for rights to club and national team competitions staged by the continental governing body.

Fifa and Uefa are set for huge increases in the value of their media rights in sub-Saharan Africa. TV Sports Markets understands bidding in both governing bodies’ tender processes has progressed beyond a first round.

The Ghana Football Association has sealed a 10-season deal with StarTimes under which it will earn almost $1.8m (€1.7m) per season for all its domestic football media rights.

Pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus Afrique has agreed a sublicensing deal with telco Econet for rights to North American basketball league the NBA.

Pan-African pay-television operator StarTimes has acquired rights for the One Championship mixed martial arts series.

Kenyan free-to-air television platform Bamba TV has launched a new 24-hour sports channel in the country.

Middle Eastern pay-television operator OSN has acquired rights to the World Touring Car Championship motor racing series.

Pan-African pay-television operator StarTimes has acquired rights to the top-tier Ghana Premier League as part of a wide-ranging agreement with the Ghana Football Association.

Cameroonian investment company Medicam has said it has been given the go-ahead from the government to launch what it claims will be the country’s first dedicated sports television channel.

Telco Econet, which operates in sub-Saharan Africa, has agreed a deal with the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa).

The Fédération Tunisienne de Football bypassed its own tender when selling rights to the top-tier Ligue Professionnelle 1, while Coupe de Tunisie rights remain to be sold ahead of this weekend’s second-round matches.

The Ghana Premier League remains without a broadcast partner with just over four weeks until the start of the 2016-17 season, despite bids from two of sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest broadcasters.