Digital sports delivery to serve 25 million TV households
Millions of sports fans in Nigeria will step into a new world of sports entertainment with the launch of Afrosport TV (afrosport.tv) on the Free TV DTT network.
Afrosport will be sub-Sahara Africa’s first 24-hour free continent-wide sports channel in Nigeria, delivering a quality and depth of service that is usually found only on Pay TV channels, such as Supersport or StartTimes. Rolling out in Nigeria, with the intention of developing a presence across Africa and the diaspora, Afrosport is driven to change the narrative around Free-To-Air (FTA) sports provision on the continent, by delivering bespoke content to an underserved and passionate fan base.
Speaking at the launch of the channel, Co-founder and Director, Andy Howes stated, “Africa has some of the best Pay TV sports delivery in the World, that is vital to rightsholders and fans alike. Afrosport will seek to focus on the 90% of fans who are not able to subscribe to Pay TV and allow them to participate in the enjoyment of the best of sport.”
“There is both a compelling commercial and moral reason for Afrosport to exist. Commercially, with a potential audience in Nigeria of more than 150 million people, Afrosport provides a method of communication that is essential for brands to market their products and will be an essential component for rightsholders – both global and local – to establish a strong following for their products.
“Morally, when you consider the powerful role that sports has played in societies, it is only right that a continent that has given so much enjoyment to the world of sports through its sons and daughters over the past 100 years and still continues to do so currently should not face exclusion for a majority of its population when it comes to viewing and enjoying sport.
Fellow founder, Rotimi Pedro added, “Many will never get the chance to attend a World Cup, go to the Olympics, or attend a match at Wembley or watch a NBA game at the Staples Centre, and the TV is the closest that they will get to enjoying collectively what is experienced in arenas around the world. Afrosport’s aim is to inspire a billion dreams”.
Free TV is the public private partnership, backed by Nigerian broadcast regulator/government and INVIEW, and will be the default FTA platform as the long-awaited Digital Switch Over (DSO) moves into gear with the roll out across the country, including Lagos, Kano, Jos, Kaduna, Enugu, Oshogbo, and Abuja. Currently in over 1,000,000 TV homes with a target of over 25 million in the next 12 to 18 months.
