On Wednesday, major satellite television service provider, Multichoice announced that its SuperSport channels won’t be broadcasting the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 slated to hold in Ivory Coast.
This came both as a shock and a disappointment to football fans in Nigeria who were hoping to watch the Super Eagles and other participating nations live on Television as the action unfolds in neighboring Cote D’Ivoire.
That dream was, however, thwarted with the announcement made by Multichoice, leaving many wondering why the television giant won’t be showing the AFCON and what other options exist.
What happened?
According to the statement put out by Multichoice, owners of DStv and GOtv, the broadcast company failed to successfully secure the television rights for the Africa Cup of Nations.
“SuperSport Channel will not broadcast the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 scheduled for January 13th – February 11th, 2024, because the channel has not secured the rights to broadcast the tournament.” its statement read.
The company, which remains one of the biggest broadcasting firms in Africa with over 23 million subscribers across 50 African countries, lost the bid to Togo-based satellite television, New World TV.
New World TV: What to Know
New World TV (NWTV) is a satellite television network based in Togo.
In November 2023, it inked a deal with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to broadcast all CAF competitions from 2023 to 2025 in 46 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
NWTV will broadcast 13 different competitions taking place over the next three years, including the League of CAF men’s and women’s champions, as well as the U17 and U20 AFCON.
New World TV has previously acquired major sporting rights including the pay-TV rights across Sub-Saharan Africa for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
What are the options available to watch AFCON 2023
With the exclusive rights to broadcast the tournament, New World TV will take charge of broadcasting the tournament to a wide range of countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Free-to-air stations: Nigeria Television Authority and other free-to-air channels in Nigeria can secure licence from NWTV to broadcast matches to the teeming audience in the country. However, at the time of this report, it is unclear if these stations have secured licences.
Also, StarTimes subscribers will have access to all 52 matches of the AFCON 2023.