MultiChoice secures AFCON broadcast rights, to air all games live

MultiChoice Group, the parent company of DStv and GOtv, has announced that its channels will air games of the forthcoming African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

In a statement on Wednesday, the broadcast powerhouse said it reached “a commercially viable agreement” with New World TV, a Togolese audio-visual group and AFCON broadcast rights holder for sub-Saharan Africa.

MutiChoice added that its SuperSport channels will air all 52 games of the competition billed to kick off on Saturday.

“SuperSport to broadcast all AFCON games live after MultiChoice secures broadcast rights January 10, 2024 – SuperSport will broadcast all 52 matches of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 (AFCON) live after MultiChoice secured the rights to broadcast the continent’s showpiece tournament, which kicks off on 13 January 2024 until 11 February 2024,” the statement reads.

“MultiChoice reached a commercially viable agreement with rightsholders, New World TV (NWTV), to broadcast the 34th edition of Africa’s premier men’s football competition taking place in Ivory Coast.”

The development came a few weeks after MultiChoice disclosed that it failed to acquire the broadcasting rights for AFCON.

It was revealed that the company was beaten to the broadcasting rights by New World TV, a Togolese audio-visual group.

New World TV had won the rights to broadcast all CAF’s 13 competitions to the sub-Saharan African audience for two years.

The initial announcement by MultiChoice has left most football fans in sub-Saharan Africa unsure of their viewing of the forthcoming continental competition.

Startimes had also announced it struck a sublicensing deal with New World TV and would air all the competition games.

Earlier, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) also signed a memorandum of understanding with AfroSports TV, a cross-continental Free-To-Air (FTA) sports channel, to broadcast AFCON to the Nigerian audience.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria landed in the Ivory Coast on Wednesday.

The team is in Group A alongside the hosts, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.

Nigeria will take on Equatorial Guinea in their opening game on January 14 before facing Ivory Coast four days later and rounding off the group stage with the Guinea-Bissau tie.