Sports

What NPFL/StarTimes Broadcast Deal brings to the League

Published

3 years ago

November 10, 2023

By Harry Iwuala

A new vista pointing to a growth trajectory for the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) opened on Thursday, November 2 when StarTimes and the League penned a deal worth a total of ₦5.9 billion over five years.

It was for many, an end to years of broadcast anomie as the last six years saw all manner of deals put on the table leading to erosion of broadcast quality and eventual loss of value for the most important asset of any football league.

“Put the league on tv or when will the league return to television” was always a common retort by critics and some others who apparently didn’t understand the dynamics of broadcast rights marketing.

The point should be made that one of the biggest obstacles to selling the NPFL Broadcast right is the huge production cost occasioned by infrastructure deficit at most, if not all our poorly designed and constructed stadiums. For those who may not have been privy to the fact, it was a major reason for the exit of Supersport which also had issues with the forex.

In terms of value, the NPFL crashed to Ground Zero of Broadcast rights and the recent selling of the NPFL Broadcast rights to StarTimes is a helluva leap for the renewed hope for our domestic league which began with the defunct Interim Management Committee (IMC) that was the forerunner to the substantive NPFL Board led by Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye.

Interestingly, the cry of ‘put our league on television’ has become muted and morphed into excoriating comments on the value of the deal in comparison with other African countries.

From proper perspectives, the NPFL deal over five years goes in progression of ₦1.06b, ₦1.10b, ₦1.20b, ₦1.25b, and ₦1.30b bringing a total of ₦5.91b which at the official exchange rate is approximately $7.7m.

In January this year, the Ghana Premier League which has enjoyed a relatively stable broadcast rights market signed a similar five-year deal with the same StarTimes for $5.25 which is a flat $1,050,000 per year.

Like Nigeria, Ghana also suffered from the withdrawal of South Africa-based Supersport from broadcast relationships.

In Tanzania, the Bakhresa Group based in Dar es Salaam bought the Tanzania Mainland Premier League broadcast right through their Azam TV for £7, 500,000. Bakhresa is an indigenous-founded company just like South Africa’s DStv that bought the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in the country for approximately $119.3m.

It is not fair to compare the television broadcast market strength of Nigeria with some of these countries and it is perhaps only two groups of people who would not appreciate what the StarTimes deal represents for the NPFL going forward.

The first is clout chasers who want to be heard irrespective of their inability to properly read the market dynamics and make an honest informed commentary. The other are those who innocently do not understand the workings of broadcast marketing but would love to see games on television.

Today, the English Premier League (EPL) is considered the most valuable in terms of Broadcast sales at £4.896b spanning 2022-2025 but it hasn’t always been this rich but has been an outcome of a foundation built since 1992 with the British Government and private businesses working together to develop a football economy that has not only created jobs but also become a major contributor to the Gross Domestic Product. Due to the power of television, the EPL has created a Football Tourism industry in the United Kingdom including a global capital inflow from sales of broadcast rights.

Elegbeleye, as the Chairman of the IMC and now NPFL did offer an assurance that his team would take all necessary steps to actualize the return of the matches to the screens. During the IMC one-season tenure, the league acquired a Broadcast Streaming Partner in Propel Sports Africa (PSA) that became one of the country’s Direct Foreign Investment (DFI) channels during the tail end of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration as they brought in expensive high technology ten Artificial Intelligence Cameras, set up office and trained over 50 Camera Operators who now work with over 30 Commentators to produce matches for Over The Top (OTT) subscribers on mobile devices and on the web.

Most recently, as the NPFL Board, a Direct to Home (DTH) cable satellite deal has been consummated with StarTimes which achieved a twofold objective of generating revenue for the league/clubs and also domestic and international exposure to our players. This is in fact, a response to the yearnings of many football stakeholders spanning fans, clubs, players, and businesses that will take advantage of the platforms to reach existing and potential customers.

For the very first time, we have a board that has secured for our league, two broadcast platforms – OTT and DTH, a bundle with rich potential to “make our league blow” as they say on the streets.

It is not fair to accuse the NPFL Board of not advertising for an open bid when the league has been lying fallow without sponsors of any level. For those who canvassed open bidding, you are invited to table a bid for other partnership sectors such as Official Bank, Telco, Beer, Insurance, and any industry sector you may wish. The time is now as the NPFL is like a train on gradual acceleration and would take in as many as shows up before it reaches cruise level.

Beyond the figures and all, Elegbeleye made the point that he is enthused by the opportunities that televising matches will bring to the league value chain. “We are going to see a reduction in judgement errors by match Referees, whether it is deliberate or out of incompetence because knowing that they are being seen live in action will make them do the right thing”.

The revenue from this deal will in addition to generating additional income for clubs to take care of some of their running expenditures also stabilize the NPFL resolve to pay match indemnity of Referees and Match Commissioners. More critically, the NPFL staff can work with added commitment knowing that there would be an enhanced and sustainable welfare package.

StarTimes will by February be producing and airing four games and by the next season, it will grow to eight games every matchday. This also places the NPFL amongst the leading global leagues broadcast-wise. NPFL lovers will by next year see all matches from their homes or from the palm of their hands through the OTT Platform. It is indeed a win-win situation for everyone.

Iwuala is NPFL Director of Communications

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Sports

Plateau Vipers, Benue Queens Crowned Champions at HFN North Central Division One Tourney

Published

8 hours ago

October 3, 2026

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Jibril Seidu, has said the federation will continue to intensify its grassroots talent development drive through zonal competitions across the country.

Seidu stated this on Saturday in Abuja at the finals of the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship, where Plateau Vipers defeated Suleja Shooters 29-24 to emerge champions in the men’s category.

In the women’s final, Benue Queens of Makurdi defeated City Queens of Suleja to claim the title.

The eight-day tournament featured teams from across the North Central Zone, with Plateau Vipers of Jos, Confluence Stars of Lokoja, Unity Boys of Abuja, Suleja Shooters and Nasarawa Ambassadors of Lafia competing in the men’s category.

In the women’s category, Nuela Handball Academy of Ilorin, Inikpi Babes of Idah, Benue Queens of Makurdi and City Queens of Suleja competed for honours.

At the end of the competition, four teams — two male and two female — emerged as the North Central Zone’s representatives for the national Division One league.

According to Seidu, the tournament was organised as part of the federation’s deliberate strategy to take handball development back to the regions and discover talents that might otherwise remain unnoticed.

He said the HFN board, inaugurated on October 25, 2025, resolved that grassroots development was essential to creating a sustainable pipeline of players for national and international competitions.

“All the teams you have seen here are from the North Central Zone of the country, and every state is represented with an academy or state team,” he said.

Seidu explained that the new approach marked a departure from the previous system, where talent identification was largely centred on the federation’s major league competitions.

He said taking competitions to the regions would provide young players with greater opportunities to showcase their abilities while strengthening the foundation of handball across the country.

The HFN president also linked the grassroots initiative to Nigeria’s recent achievements in international handball, stressing the need to develop younger players who can eventually replace members of the current national teams.

He noted that Nigeria had qualified for the 2027 Men’s Junior Handball World Championship in North Macedonia, describing the achievement as evidence of the potential within the country’s handball system.

“How do we replace these players with upcoming players? This is the avenue for us to get players,” he said.

Seidu added that the federation was determined to make handball more visible and accessible, describing it as one of Nigeria’s major sporting disciplines with significant potential for growth.

The North Central tournament is part of a wider zonal programme designed to decentralise handball development across Nigeria.

According to the federation, similar competitions are being organised across other zones, including the South East, North East, North West and South South, with qualifiers from each zone expected to converge at a designated venue for the next stage of the competition.

The federation also appealed for greater support from sponsors, stakeholders and state associations to sustain its grassroots development programme.

It expressed appreciation to the participating states, academies, team sponsors and other stakeholders for their support and commitment to the growth of handball in Nigeria.

The federation said the initiative would provide a platform for discovering the next generation of Nigerian handball stars while expanding the sport’s reach beyond its traditional centres.
While Speaking the elated coach of Benue Queen Godwin Tondo has promised a stronger and more tactical performance after guiding the team to victory at the 2026 North Central Division One Handball Championship in Abuja.
He attributed the success to the team’s long-term youth development programme, noting that the squad was built through a deliberate process of identifying and nurturing young talents.
According to him, the programme began with the selection of 92 girls from secondary schools, who were subsequently trained and developed over a four-year period.

He said the team’s success was a product of sustained hard work and commitment despite the challenges encountered during preparations for the tournament.

“I feel very pleased being a champion today. The road to this stage was very, very hard, but I am very happy that we have got the result from all the toughness of the game,” he said.

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