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As the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) kicks off on Sunday, December 21, in Morocco, a new African-focused broadcaster, Ariya Network, is positioning itself at the heart of the continent’s biggest sporting spectacle and a broader push to reshape global Black storytelling.
The network officially launched on December 8, initially planning a “three-holiday bonanza” targeting West African audiences. However, with AFCON 2025 set to begin on December 21 in Morocco, Ariya Network shifted focus to secure broadcast opportunities around the tournament, offering Nigerians affordable access to Africa’s premier football competition.
Badmus described AFCON as a natural entry point for the network, combining sport, culture, and continental unity. He added that the organisation sees the tournament not only as a football event but as a platform to amplify African excellence and shared identity.
Looking ahead, the broadcaster has also signaled ambitions beyond AFCON, including potential future partnerships with FIFA, as it seeks to expand its reach and influence within global sports and media.
With AFCON 2025 underway, Ariya Network is betting that football’s unifying power can help launch a broader media revolution—one focused on African agency, economic collaboration, and telling Black stories on their own terms.
The Ariya Network Chairman, Dr. Idris Olagoke Badmus, introduced the brand as a globally licensed broadcasting corporation and an offshoot of AMNI Incorporation, which has operated in the United States for the past 11 years. According to Badmus, the launch marks a significant step toward fulfilling a long-standing mission: connecting Black people across Africa and the global diaspora through a shared media platform.
Speaking on the network’s vision, Badmus described what he sees as a paradox in global media representation. Despite a global Black population estimated at 1.6 billion, he argued that Black communities are often treated as a minority in international discourse. He criticized the global news ecosystem, which he said is dominated by six major organizations rooted largely in British and American systems, with programming heavily skewed toward politics.
“About 70 percent of global news content focuses on politics, while sports and entertainment receive roughly 10 percent each,” Badmus said, adding that such coverage often fails to capture the realities, progress, and innovation within Black communities. He noted that Africa, in particular, is frequently portrayed through the lens of conflict and disaster.
Ariya Network he noted aims to challenge that narrative. The broadcaster plans to dedicate 70 percent of its content to what it calls the “social economy,” highlighting intra-African trade, innovation, manufacturing, and achievements across the continent and the diaspora. From industrial growth in Nigeria to advances in robotics, astrophysics, and creative industries, the network says its goal is to tell African and Black stories from within, rather than through external perspectives.
