Mrs. Akorfa Banson, General Manager of StarTimes Ghana, recently remarked about the vital role her firm has done in revolutionising television coverage of the Ghana Premier League (GPL).
She emphasised StarTimes’ debut into the Ghanaian football scene in 2016 and the good impact their investment has had on the league and its stakeholders in a video released on the broadcaster’s social media sites.
She stated that the GPL had no TV partner or sponsor at the time of StarTimes’ participation. The previous TV partner had cancelled their three-year contract due to the league’s lack of profitability. StarTimes chose to invest in the GPL after recognising the untapped potential of local football content. They purchased the rights to broadcast the league and hired the state broadcaster to create live games on television.
Mrs Banson stated that StarTimes went above and beyond their own platform by providing free access to these games to the state broadcaster Ghana Television, which was telecast on GTV, GTV Sports Plus, and eight additional free-to-air channels. The purpose was to broaden GPL’s market reach and boost its commercial position in Ghana. Previously, just one or two games were accessible on TV every match day, but StarTimes boosted that number to four or five games per match day, sometimes even showing games concurrently.
Mrs Banson emphasised that several African nations have local leagues on privately held pay-TV platforms, citing the Tanzanian Premier League, Kenyan Premier League, and Ethiopian Premier League as examples.
She emphasised that football rights have become a business, bringing revenue to associations, clubs, and the competition itself and that the notion that domestic leagues should only be broadcast by state broadcasters is out of date, as evidenced by Sky Sports holding the rights to the English Premier League rather than the BBC.
Mrs Banson emphasised StarTimes’ commitment to raising Ghanaian football, despite the fact that no Ghanaian broadcaster or media organisation had initially shown interest in the GPL. The corporation substantially engaged in production and advertising, spending an average of one million dollars every season on game production alone. They also conducted substantial promotional initiatives through different media outlets such as radio, television, and billboards.
Mrs Banson urged stakeholders and Ghanaians to contrast the GPL’s present wide TV coverage with its earlier restricted exposure.
She emphasised that StarTimes had helped the league overcome a time in which it lacked support and associations. She went on to say that Startimes’ investment in Ghanaian football has been critical in improving the GPL’s image and drawing greater viewership and attention.
Mrs Banson concluded by reiterating Startimes’ commitment to providing Ghanaians with digital experiences and emphasising their commitment to supporting and developing local football.
Source: graphic.com.gh
