Nazir Hamzah In Opinion: Ghana Premier League TV rights to free air Stations, Kessben TV, TV3, GTV & others unanimously must purchase rights
The marketability and the exposure of the Ghana Premier League could hit a high reach if the games are on free TV air Ghanaian TV stations compared to the pay-per-view we’ve witnessed in the last five years.
Starstimes have held the fort as the Broadcast Television right-holder for the Ghana football. Their contract with the Ghana Football Association comes to an end this season as the GFA has opened and inviting applicants to purchase broadcast rights for the upcoming season.
Without a doubt, Startimes’ coverage of the Ghana Premier League since taking over from DSTV has been relatively okay with respect to production but penetrating to the potentially larger audience of the Ghanaian football community has been a challenge due to economic implications because Startimes is a pay-per-view TV station.
Not many football fans in Ghana are able to follow the Ghana Premier League quite well because of the basic reason that the live televised games are on pay-per-view TV channel, a platform which they will have to pay monthly before watching the games amid the harsh economic conditions.
The Ghana Premier League can be a household product if the games are televised live on free-to-air popular Ghanaian TV stations.
Interest in the league can be stimulated and skyrocket if the games are brought to the doorsteps of the people thereby showing the games live on free-to-air TV stations.
As the contract between the Startimes and the GFA comes to an end, I will urge the Free To Air TV Stations who have an interest in the Ghana League to collectively purchase the right and get the games live on their free-to-air stations.
No matter how much the Broadcast right may cost, 10 or 5 Free Air TV stations can contribute and collectively secure this right through their basic form of revenue generation which is sponsored ads.
The Ghana Premier League must simply not be limited to those who can afford to pay monthly and watch, It must be at the doorstep of every Ghanaian through free-to-air platforms, and with this, the interest in the league will continue to soar.
