StarTimes Seals N5.03bn Five-year Deal With NPFL

Cable TV, StarTimes has become official broadcast partner after completing a five-year deal with the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).

The deal, the NPFL management revealed costs the cable TV the sum of Five Billion and Thirty million Naira (N5.03bn).

The first season, 2023/2024 will cost the Cable TV N1.06 Billion for the partnership.

While 2024/2025 will see StarTimes pay N1.1 Billion. In 2025/2026 , the sum of N1.150 Billion will be paid for the TV Rights. N1.200 Billion is the amount to be paid in 2026/27 while in

2027/2028, N1.25 Billion will be paid to the NPFL.

The contract signing ceremony with the officials of the two parties and the Nigeria Football Federation President, Ibrahim Gusau were in attendance. The event took place at the Sheraton Hotel, Abuja, on Thursday.

“It is a 5-year deal worth N5.03bn with Startimes, and potentially witness a 50 million naira increment annually.” NPFL Chairman, Gbenga Elegbeleye revealed during the signing ceremony.

From November 18th, two games per week will be televised and from February 18, 2024, and four games per week for the next two years. Then eight matches per week for the next 3 years.

According to NFF president Ibrahim Gusau, the broadcast deal is aimed at driving the interest of football fans in the country to the league over foreign football leagues like the English Premier League (EPL).

While explaining, NPFL chairman Gbenga Elegbeleye said two matches per week will be transmitted live for the first months as a test run for the broadcast.

The NFF 2nd Vice president also further said that there will be four live matches every week for the first two seasons of the broadcast deal plus weekly match highlights of all league games.

Nigerians can now watch the top-flight league from the comfort of their homes as a result of the broadcast deal.

This will be the first time that the league will return to television after the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) showed league matches after the 2015/2016 season.

During the 2015/2016 campaign Supersports broadcast the league as Enugu Rangers won the title.

Previously, clubs live-streamed their games on their social media pages like Facebook and YouTube.

Ahead of the current season (2023/2024), the league announced a deal with Propel Sports to broadcast the league via NPFLTV.