From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The future of Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) received a big boost on Thursday when the league management body signed a whooping N1.06 billion five-year television broadcast sponsorship deal.
The deal, which will stream and televise four Premier League matches live in the initial period, also has N50 million incremental arrangement, was signed in Abuja.
NPFL Chairman, Gbenga Elegbeleye, described the deal as a valuable addition to the Premier League family.
His words: “We look forward to more exciting moments again for Nigerians who have endured years of absence of our league from television screens.
“The television sponsorship deal is worth N1.06 billion. It will come with an incremental figure of N50 million every season. I will end by promising that more valuable partners are in line to join our NPFL family as we continue on this trajectory of transparency, strict application of the rules and appropriate sanctions for breaches. Good seasons are back in the NPFL,” he said.
Recalling how the deal was struck, Elegbeleye said: “Some months ago while operating as the Interim Management Committee (IMC), we met at the GTI office where we signed up a partner for live streaming of our matches on the OTT Platform and I did assure you on that occasion that we would get our matches back on the television screens.
“Today represents a major step in bringing our exciting NPFL games to homes in Nigeria and beyond. It has been months of painstaking negotiations for which I must commend our partners, StarTimes for their steadfast commitment to seeing this deal through. It didn’t come easy but it is worth all the efforts that went into it.
“Today is not going to be for long speeches as we are here to sign up with StarTimes as the Official Satellite/Cable Television Broadcast Partners. We are here to welcome this valuable addition to the NPFL family and we look forward to more exciting moments again for Nigerians who have endured years of absence of our league from television screens,” he said.
In his comments, StarTimes Nigeria CEO, Joshua Wang, said that he is looking forward to an exciting time with millions of football lovers in Nigeria.
Today, we are pleased to announce that we have secured the exclusive rights to broadcast four matches of NPFL per Round in 2023/24 season and 2024/25 season; and eight matches of NPFL per Round in 2025/26 season, 2026/27 season and 2027/28 season.
“This means that StarTimes will be the only platform where you can watch the best of Nigerian football every week. We will also have the first pick of the matches we want to showcase, ensuring that we bring you the most exciting and competitive games in the league.
“This deal is a win-win situation for both parties. For StarTimes, it means that we can offer our subscribers more value and variety in our sports content. For the NPFL, it means that they can benefit from our expertise and experience in producing and broadcasting high-quality football matches.
“Promoting and developing the league is not only a business goal for us but also a social responsibility. We are committed to growing the sports industry in Nigeria by collaborating with our local partners and sharing positive Nigerian stories.
“We believe that this deal will enhance the visibility and popularity of the NPFL, both locally and internationally. We hope that it will also inspire and motivate the players, coaches, and clubs to perform at their best and showcase their talents.
“We are confident that this partnership will bring more joy and excitement to millions of football fans in Nigeria and beyond.Dear gentlemen of the press, we crave your indulgence to dedicate media space and broadcast time to widely publicise the NPFL.
In attendance was the President Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau who equally said that the deal promised better times for the Nigerian elite league.