Digital TV operator StarTimes entered the African market in Rwanda in 2008, when it launched the first Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) network of the continent.
Since that day, StarTimes spared no effort in realizing its ambitious vision: “To ensure that every African family can access, afford, watch and share the beauty of digital TV”.
StarTimes allowed millions of families around the continent able to watch premium content previously restricted to high-income populations. This is especially true for football, an area in which StarTimes keeps making a tremendous difference.
After successfully broadcasting the 2020 African Nations Championship, StarTimes launched last week MUTV, official TV channel of Manchester United, in Africa.
Phil Lynch, Chief Executive of Media, Manchester United, said: “MUTV is one of our most important channels for engaging with fans around the world, whether through linear or direct-to-consumer streaming platforms, and we are excited to be significantly increasing its reach through our new partner, StarTimes, in Africa.”
These last years, StarTimes became the official broadcaster of many premium international football events in Sub-Saharan Africa: La Liga and Bundesliga, as well as UEFA Europa League, England’s FA Cup, Spain’s Copa del Rey and Italy’s Coppa Italia. And it is now gearing up to broadcast to air the long-awaited UEFA EURO 2020 this summer across the continent.
But StarTimes is not only a broadcaster. The media group is fully committed to support African local football. For example, together with Bundesliga, StarTimes organized many activities, from football clinics in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, to a football school in Ghana in 2019 during which young football talents and coaches were trained by experts from the German league.
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StarTimes partners with four African leagues, Ghana Premier League, Kenya’s FKF Premier League, Uganda Premier League and Zambia’s National Division One.
StarTimes Media Division General Manager Lily Meng explains that this is a strategic commitment for StarTimes. “Through these partnerships, StarTimes not only injects money into clubs, it also brings league matches in every home. Financing and visibility are crucial for leagues to grow on the long term, to have African football achieve its potential”.
As a result, the Sports Writers’ Association of Ghana (SWAG) recognized the “contribution of StarTimes towards sports development” during the 45th SWAG Awards ceremony.
With 13 million television subscribers and 20 million OTT users in 30+ countries, StarTimes has become a partner of choice for key players in the sport industry.
As the leading digital-TV operator in Africa, StarTimes will keep adding value to television services so that more African families enjoy together at home the “Beautiful Game”.