SportyTV, the African media platform, has acquired a package of free-to-air rights in sub-Saharan Africa covering the men’s UEFA European Championships national team soccer tournament next year.
The deal extends to exclusive FTA rights in both Nigeria and Ghana, while also including sub-licensing agreements for 25 other countries, “serving both English and Portuguese-speaking audiences across sub-Saharan Africa.”
The rights package includes 12 matches from the 24-team tournament that will take place in Germany between June 14 and July 14 next year, being covered exclusively on FTA TV, including the opening game, two round-of-16 clashes, two quarter-finals, one semi-final, and the Euro 2024 final.
There will be daily studio shows produced from Lagos, Nigeria, as well as an on-ground reporting team in Germany.
In addition, the FTA network will also “provide strong digital coverage through its digital channels and social media networks.”
The complete country list is as follows: Angola, Botswana, Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, St Helena and Ascension, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
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By GlobalDataSportyTV adds these rights to a soccer portfolio that already includes action from the top-tier leagues in England, Italy, Germany, and Saudi Arabia.
Guy-Laurent Epstein, director of marketing at UEFA, has said: “We are very pleased to start our partnership with SportyTV for UEFA Euro 2024 in Nigeria and Ghana. Fans will be offered an extensive and excellent coverage of the Euro 2024 final draw and final tournament.”
Elsewhere in Africa, in November last year, telecoms firm Airtel unveiled a deal covering the Euros, through which subscribers to the Airtel TV service in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Congo Brazzaville, Gabon, Chad, Niger, Madagascar, and Seychelles will be able to watch the tournament live. That deal was struck as a sub-licensing agreement with original rightsholder New World TV.
BeIN Sports holds rights in the Middle East and North Africa, meanwhile.
Elias Gallego, SportyTV’s vice president of media, marketing, and business development, added: “From the very beginning, SportyTV’s mission has been to provide world-class sports content to African fans for free. This new partnership with UEFA solidifies our position as the ultimate destination for free-to-air soccer consumption on the continent.”
In late September, SportyTV unveiled a deal with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) to cover events in Nigeria and Ghana.
SportyTV already showcased the PFL Europe Playoff in Paris, France, in September, and will now do so for the PFL World Championship in Washington, D.C. on November 24 and the PFL Europe final in Dublin, Ireland, on December 8.
