TheCable

The board of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has announced a five-year broadcast rights deal with StarTimes. 

According to NAN, the deal was confirmed at a contract signing ceremony in Abuja on Thursday.

Gbenga Elegbeleye, the chair of the NPFL board, said that the contract would commence on November 18, and two matches would be transmitted live per week as a test run.

He added that the number of matches will be increased to four per matchday in February 2024 and “eight matches per round in 2025/2026, 2026/2027 and 2027/2028″.

“From Feb. 18, 2024, this will be expanded to four matches per round in the 2023/2024 NPFL season and 2024/2025 season and eight matches per round in 2025/2026, 2026/2027 and 2027/2028 season,” Elegbeleye said.

“The extended coverage indicates a commitment to promoting the NPFL and increasing its visibility in the sports media landscape.

“This positive development is anticipated to have a significant impact on the league, potentially attracting a larger viewership.

“It will also increase sponsorship opportunities and boost the popularity of Nigerian football.”

On his part, Ibrahim Gusau, president of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), said the plan was to seal the broadcast deal before the 2023/24 season commenced, but it was delayed due to “painstaking and thorough due diligence to make sure we give Nigerians the best”.

“We thank God for making this day a reality. It has been our dream and earnest desire to do everything it takes to improve our domestic league,” the NFF president said.

“Indeed, we cannot say we have achieved that without putting the Premier league first.

“Thank God today we are showing Nigerians and the world that by the grace of God and with the support of our corporate partners like StarTimes, we will achieve our dreams,” he said.

“It has indeed taken a very long time for us to get here, and it was our intention that this partnership commence before the beginning of the 2023/2024 NPFL season.

“We had to go through a painstaking and thorough due diligence to make sure we give Nigerians the best as far as promoting our domestic league is concerned.

“That is why we couldn’t conclude this deal until today.”

The 2023/24 NPFL season has been in full swing since late September, and matchday seven is billed to be held this weekend. Sporting Lagos will welcome Kano Pillars, Bendel Insurance will host Remo Stars, and Enugu Rangers will face Heartland in a south-east derby.