Sub-Saharan Africa

Cricket South Africa has finally delivered a workable concept for a new domestic T20 competition via a joint venture with pay-television broadcaster SuperSport.

Pan-African pay-television operator StarTimes has acquired rights to the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) motor-racing series.

Ghanaian public-service broadcaster GTV has agreed a deal for free-to-air rights to the 2018 Fifa World Cup.

Econet Media has furthered the reach of its pan-African media company, Kwesé, by launching its pay-television operation in Liberia and its digital service, Kwesé iflix, in Zimbabwe.

Kenyan media company Nation Media Group has acquired a package of free-to-air rights to national team football tournament the Fifa World Cup.

Zimbabwean public-service broadcaster ZBC has agreed a rights deal with the Premier Soccer League, the top tier of club football in the country.

Pan-African pay-television operator Kwesé TV says it is “committed to honouring its financial obligations to all rights-holders, production companies and suppliers” after TV Sports Markets learned of missed payments to several rights-holders.

Pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus Afrique has confirmed the acquisition of French-language rights in sub-Saharan Africa to a series of football tournaments, including the Uefa Champions League, the 2018 Fifa World Cup and the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Ligue de Football Professionnel, the French football league, has today (Monday) confirmed rights deals in sub-Saharan Africa with pay-television broadcasters Canal Plus Afrique and Kwesé Sports.

The Infront agency is interested in acquiring rights for the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League top-tier club football competition.

The Federation of Uganda Football Associations has agreed a four-year media and commercial rights deal with local sports production and marketing company Sports Broadcasting – an agreement it states will be transformational for the sport in the country.

BeIN Media Group has recouped just under 44 per cent of its total fee for Ligue 1 international rights from sublicensing deals in sub-Saharan Africa this month.

L’Obs TV, a broadcaster recently formed by Senegalese media company Groupe Futur Médias, has acquired rights in the country to the 2018 Fifa World Cup national team football tournament.

SuperSport, the pay-television broadcaster that operates in sub-Saharan Africa, has struck a three-year extension to its rights deal for tennis grand slam the Australian Open.

Pay-television broadcasters Canal Plus Afrique and Kwesé Sports have been awarded media rights to Ligue 1, the top division of French club football, in sub-Saharan Africa, TV Sports Markets understands.

Renewing Uefa Champions League rights has cemented SuperSport’s place as the leading pay-television sports broadcaster in sub-Saharan Africa for at least the next four years.