The National Television Authority (NTA) has signed a deal to broadcast the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) soccer tournament on its NTA Sports 24 channel, The Herald reports.
This provides a free viewing option for millions of Nigerian fans to watch the matches after satellite broadcaster Multichoice failed to obtain rights.
The Confederation of African Football recently confirmed that the tournament, postponed from 2023 due to weather concerns, will run from January 13 to February 11, 2024, in Ivory Coast.
NTA, as the country’s leading TV network, is now poised to air all 52 matches on its popular sports channel in collaboration with Afro Sports.
Other channels that have secured AFCON 2024 broadcast rights include Afro Sports, StarTimes, Viaplay, and Ziggo Sport. These platforms will show live matches alongside NTA.
Many Nigerian football enthusiasts have applauded NTA’s move to make the tournament available at no cost.
This comes barely a day after pay-TV operator StarTimes informed its subscribers about a 15% price increment on its subscription fees, effective January 10, 2024.
Multichoice, another major pay-TV operator, surprised its subscribers in December by announcing that it would not be able to broadcast the AFCON matches on its DStv and Gotv sports channels.
The price increment affects all StarTimes bouquets, with the StarTimes Super bouquet, featuring the sports channel set to broadcast AFCON, experiencing the highest increase of 15%.
The subscription fee for the Super Bouquet will rise from the current rate of N6,500 to N7,500.
The 2024 edition marks the 34th Africa Cup of Nations competition. Nigeria’s Super Eagles have won the title three times and aim to contend again. Ivory Coast last hosted in 1984.