French pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus has acquired exclusive rights from the Confédération Africaine de Football, the African football confederation, for the Africa Cup of Nations national team tournament and other events operated by the continental governing body.
The deal, which starts immediately and will run for four years until 2016, includes rights for the next two editions of the African Cup of Nations in 2013 and 2015.
During both competitions, Canal Plus will provide coverage of all games across its Canal Plus Sport, Sport Plus and Foot Plus pay-television channels, as well as its main channel, and will also show the tournaments’ opening matches, quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals on its free-to-air general entertainment channel Direct 8.
Canal Plus will also provide coverage of qualifying matches for the 2013 and 2015 competitions as well as the pre-tournament draw for the 2013 event, which will run from January 19 to February 10.
The rights package also includes coverage of annual African club football competitions such as the Champions League, Confederation Cup and Super Cup, as well as the next two editions of the Africa Nations Championship national team tournament in 2014 and 2016.