The Chief Consultant of AfroSports Television, Rotimi Pedro, says monetising and monopolising the broadcast rights of football and other sports is detrimental to the development of sports.
He made the remark at a press briefing on Thursday in Lagos against the backdrop of the tussle over the broadcast rights for the 2023 Africa Nations Cup (AFCON).
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and New World Televisions (NWTV) have confirmed that the 2023 AFCON matches will be available to Nigerian viewers.
Pedro said in the past subscribers had to upgrade their subscriptions in order to watch premium sports, which was applicable to only those that could afford it.
“In the past those who owned the broadcast rights to the AFCON made it impossible for up and coming players to feed their imagination so they could push their limits.
“We’ve gotten the rights to air 52 matches, we’ve partnered wit NTA, TVC, AIT and Wazobia TV. No need to pay subscriptions to watch the Super Eagles play at the 2023 AFCON,” Pedro said.
He further said the struggle to get the broadcast rights to ensure that all Nigerians could watch AFCON matches had been on for many years.
“We have championed the freedom of sports. We believe that every premium sport should be available on free tv. You don’t have to pay subscriptions of N17, 000. We have been advocating for this for 25 or 30 years.
“There’s a strong connection between free sports TV and the development of sports.
“Even in developed markets, in Europe all the games are available on free tv, 50 per cent subscription, where they watch all the games of the World Cup and league.
“There’s a reason for that, the reason is to develop the next generation and broaden their imagination so they believe in their dreams,” he said.
Pedro reiterated Afrosports’ commitment to bringing Nigerians the best of football in Africa, which he believes will motivate young impressionable players.
“We pride ourselves as being able to bring premium sports to a large number of people for free.
“In addition, Afrosport has been awarded a Pay TV license for Pay-per-View TV rights, with the exclusive authority to licence Pay TV broadcaster, Supersport.
“This news has been eagerly awaited, and can put Nigerian fans at ease that they will be able to enjoy unprecedented coverage of the AFCON this coming January,” Pedro said.
Similarly, sports broadcaster, Deji Omotoyinbo, said Nigerians should stay tuned to versatile and cerebral panelists during the Nations Cup.
“Nigerians have the personnel, no matter how we try to colour this. We would have fantastic and brilliant ex-internationals and football analysts to give us in depth analysis.
“Expect the best quality broadcasting and analysis. We can’t continue to stifle the development of football and sports by commercialising everything.
“Imagine the marginalisation. it’s only 4.2 million Nigerians that have decoders, what happens to the remaining millions of people who can’t afford to pay N17,000 for subscription,” Omotoyinbo queried.
Total Energies AFCON 2023 kicks off on Jan. 13 and its matches will be available on the Afrosport, alongside NTA, AIT and all affiliate members of the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria, amongst a network of Free-to-Air channels across Nigeria.