AFC and StarTimes confirm media rights deal

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced StarTimes as their new 2021 media partner in Sub-Saharan Africa to broadcast AFC’s national team and club competitions.

The partnership will see StarTimes broadcast key competitions including AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar Final Round (until December 31, 2021), Group, Knock-out Stages and Finals of the AFC Champions League 2021 as well as the AFC Cup 2021 on a non-exclusive basis.

With the AFC national team and club competitions, StarTimes further expands their already impressive portfolio of rights, which includes the upcoming UEFA Euro 2020, the Bundesliga, UEFA Europa League, the FA Cup among others.

Speaking ahead of the scheduled broadcast, StarTimes Regional Marketing Director Mr. Aldrine Nsubuga said, “We are delighted to partner with the Asian Football Confederation to air AFC’s national team and club competitions for our Kenyan subscribers. Football is by far the most popular sport and we are glad to offer fans a variety of prestigious football events, we are confident this latest property is a great welcome to the ardent football fans.”

Mr. Dato’ Windsor John, the AFC General Secretary, said: “The Asian Football Confederation is delighted with this new partnership which will bring the best of Asian football to the sub-Saharan African region, and we are thankful to StarTimes for recognizing the value of AFC’s competitions.

“The agreement will not only increase the exposure of our world-class competitions and platforms beyond the Continent, but also enhance the stature of AFC’s brand as we continue to expand our family of global partners,” added Mr. Dato.

Patrick Murphy, Board Member and CEO at Football Marketing Asia (FMA) said, “We are very pleased to welcome StarTimes as our new media partner in sub-Saharan Africa. We are looking forward to working closely towards strengthening the presence of Asian football in the region.”

Since entering the African market in 2008, StarTimes became the fastest growing digital TV operator with services in more than 30 countries across the Continent. Today, StarTimes is one of the biggest pan-regional Pay TV operators in sub-Saharan Africa, servicing over 13 million Pay TV subscribers and 27 million streaming service users.