Sub-Saharan Africa

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.

Swazi TV, a public-service broadcaster in Swaziland, has secured a rights deal for the country’s Premier League football competition.

ESPN’s multi-faceted agreement with telco Econet’s Kwesé TV pay-television platform brings the sports broadcaster back to sub-Saharan Africa after an absence of more than three years.

The MP & Silva agency has gone back into business with the Football Kenya Federation, a year after a deal between the two fell apart amid allegations of forgery, fraud and embezzlement against then-FKF president Sam Nyamweya.

Lagardère Sports is distributing free-to-air rights to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations itself in a marked change from its previous strategy of sublicensing rights in sub-Saharan Africa to another agency.

Kenya's competition authority (CAK) has launched an investigation into MultiChoice East Africa, the pay-television business of South African media company Naspers, over its coverage of football.

Telecommunications company Econet Media, which operates in sub-Saharan Africa, has agreed a long-term partnership with international sports broadcaster ESPN for its Kwesé sports service.

World football’s governing body Fifa has opened invitation to tender proceedings in Russia and sub-Saharan Africa for the 2017 Confederations Cup and 2018 World Cup.

The CAA Eleven agency has launched tenders in sub-Saharan Africa for rights to Uefa national team properties.

Canal Plus Afrique made its first major investment in a domestic African football league earlier this month, acquiring rights to the Côte d’Ivoire Ligue 1.

African telco Econet Wireless has completed a deal for World Rally Championship media rights in sub-Saharan Africa, further expanding its motorsport portfolio.

The Infront Sports & Media agency has praised its rights distribution for the Rio 2016 summer Olympic Games in the sub-Saharan Africa region as a success, after coverage was aired in a total of 46 territories.

SuperSport, the pay-television broadcaster that operates in sub-Saharan Africa, will today (Thursday) live stream its first sporting event via social media platform Facebook.

Pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus has agreed a five-season deal with the Fédération Ivoirienne de Football for rights to Ligue 1, the top division of domestic football in the Ivory Coast.

African telco Econet has continued to spend its billion-dollar sports-rights acquisition budget in recent weeks, buying Formula One, National Football League and Brazilian football rights.

Canal Plus Afrique’s French-language deal for English Premier League rights is a landmark moment for the league, as its rights are now more expensive than the more locally-relevant French Ligue 1.