StarTimes ends NPFL broadcast deal after just two years

The Chief Executive Officer of StarTimes, Joshua Wang, has confirmed that the pay-TV company has pulled out of its broadcast partnership with the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), bringing an abrupt end to a deal originally valued at ₦6 billion over five years. StarTimes signed on as the NPFL’s official broadcast partner in 2023, but […]

The Chief Executive Officer of StarTimes, Joshua Wang, has confirmed that the pay-TV company has pulled out of its broadcast partnership with the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), bringing an abrupt end to a deal originally valued at ₦6 billion over five years.

StarTimes signed on as the NPFL’s official broadcast partner in 2023, but the agreement has been terminated just two years later. The company cited poor returns on investment, particularly in decoder patronage and overall viewer engagement.

Speaking at an NPFL event in Abuja, Wang explained the reasons behind the decision.

“Since StarTimes has been the broadcast partners of the NPFL, during the past two seasons, we have tried to meet our promises to promote and broadcast the NPFL,” he said.

“But unfortunately, we are here because of these economic issues; we are not making it as a business partner for the pay TV business to be sustainable. Everything is business; we don’t have the capability to continue. I also heard last week that our partners NTA have taken over the broadcast.”

NPFL Chairman Gbenga Elegbeleye also shed light on the deal’s structure, revealing that the contract included a probationary period.

“Signing with StarTimes that time, we said that the first two seasons are probatory, after that we would discuss again on how to go further,” Elegbeleye explained.

He added that the NPFL had already shifted to working with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in the meantime.

“Our last match in Lagos between Ikorodu City and El-Kanemi Warriors was live on NTA. We will still be going ahead with that until we finish the current discussion regarding the broadcast.”

The NPFL board recently opened talks with NTA to seal a new broadcast partnership. However, uncertainty surrounds the arrangement due to leadership changes at the station. President Bola Tinubu initially appointed Rotimi Pedro as NTA’s new Director-General on August 20, but later reversed the decision, reinstating Salihu Abdullahi Dembos to complete his three-year tenure.