Private media outfit Next TV Digital and telco 9Mobile have signed a deal with The League Management Company (LMC) for the production and broadcast of Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) content for local and international markets.
This five-year deal was sealed in Abuja between LMC chairman Shehu Dikko, Next TV Digital chairman Prince Malik Ado Ibrahim and 9Mobile acting director Olayiwola Onafowokan.
With a projected value of US$200m, the broadcast deal is aimed at allowing free flow of investment into the NPFL in order to ensure the professional and efficient production of NPFL matches for distribution to all interested networks.
Dikko said the transaction stood on a number of “pillars,” explaining: “The first pillar, which is most important, is that we are going to get investment into the NPFL and that will ensure football keeps running and operates in a professional way.
“The second pillar is that we will produce NPFL matches through the investment of Next TV, technical expertise and support. All over the world, league football is driven by production, which means if you don’t produce your content, you will not earn money.
“The third pillar of the transaction is to ensure the marketing and sales of NPFL matches produced across all platforms in domestic and international markets, such as pay TV, free-to-air, mobile, OTT, streaming, highlights and video-on-demand.
“Cash will be put into one pot and, at the end of the day, we will have enough revenue so that we can catch up with the developed leagues. We want to see all our matches on all global networks as soon as possible.”
Ibrahim added: “We are going to go beyond OTT and, with time, ensure we have quality content that can project the NPFL. We are not restricting it. We want to drive the projection of NPFL through OTT and digital technology and share the content with others who will be willing to use it, whether it’s terrestrial or cable, within and outside Nigeria.”
tagged in: 9mobile, Next TV Digital, Nigerian Professional Football League, The League Management Company