DStv’s SuperSport is delighted to confirm that it has acquired the Nigerian rights to the Barclays Premier League for the next three seasons 2010/11 to 2012/13.

The arrangement includes 380 Barclays Premier League matches, plus the Premier League’s 24-hour content service in high definition. This seven-day-a-week service launches on August 13 and will be broadcast across the whole of sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria.

The Premier League has traditionally enjoyed outstanding viewership ratings on SuperSport and this commercial arrangement is expected to amplify the league’s popularity. The Barclays Premier League is the biggest continuous annual sporting event in the world, followed by more than 2.5 billion fans and broadcast to more than 500 million homes.

“Nigeria will be one of the very first countries to receive the 24-hour content service,” said Imtiaz Patel, CEO of SuperSport. “We are delighted to lead the way with our partners at the Premier League and associates in Nigeria.”

Commenting on the news, chairman of MultiChoice Nigeria, Adewunmi Ogunsanya, said: “We are happy to welcome back the English Premier League onto the DStv platform in Nigeria, to stand alongside the other exciting international soccer coverage we already provide to our subscribers here.

“However, our focus remains firmly on showcasing homegrown talent from the Nigerian Premier League and we will continue our investments in this regard.

“As a Nigerian business that is committed to providing our growing subscriber community across Nigeria with the world’s best channels and programming, we are pleased that SuperSport were able to take up the opportunity when it presented itself, to ensure that fans of this league will not miss any action from it.”

Premier League chief executive, Richard Scudamore, added: “We are pleased to extend our partnership with SuperSport into Nigeria and are confident they will continue to deliver a premium product that will showcase the Barclays Premier League to our many fans in the territory.”

http://www.supersport.com/football/nige , or_Nigeria

I hope this is not bad news for the fans such that we don't lose on both ends.

How does this affect HiTV? will it be a sharing formular or they will be totally shipped out of the business.

we need to stay tuned and get the implications,

the end of hitv in nigeria,

Toyin Subair go commit suicide o !

lacidi:

“As a Nigerian business that is committed to providing our growing subscriber community across Nigeria with the world’s best channels and programming, we are pleased that SuperSport were able to take up the opportunity when it presented itself, to ensure that fans of this league will not miss any action from it.”

Note the word play on the 'Nigerian business'. That was probably calculated to play down anti-SA sentiments.
As far as I'm concerned, HiTV bleeped up this one big time. They had this for two years, they could have scaled up and raised cash via equity or even gone to the market, if funding was going to be a problem. Rather, they just sat down and were waiting for sponsorship cash. The banks even had to push them to organize a bit, get their own decoder into the market, as opposed to using Strong, and try to create payment channels.
Nigerians never sabi how to run big business.

Hmmm. . .HiTv has lost it's USP. Down it goes. . . . .

As a Nigerian I'm really miffed that this could happen. Where were all our so called big banks? Couldn't anyone at least underwrite this deal considering how lucrative it is.

Toyin don carry all d money buy Range finish, enuff laulau, lack of vision.

At his last buffday almost all banks were present, how smart has he been ?

From day ones hitv started. that got premiership rigth,i sugeest and forcast that time when the rigth expire hitv is going back to where it comes from. for example look at fstv that claim la-liga rigth look at the end.do u hear about fstv again? dstv is big company like mtn.

Mulitchoice don use profit wey dem make for WC oppress HITV. As a subscriber , this is good news for me.

Before HITV came on board with just dstv subscription , one would watch, epl,la liga, UCL. At least with 9.5k i go dey watch epl and la liga , as against 15k before. GOOOOOD NEWS.

At least, all these their raid on viewing centres will come to an end.

I called a pal in HITV now and he  said they have paid but stil have some documentations to sort out wit EPL and so DSTV cant laid claim to the right of EPL.

But i think we should wait and see what happens in the next few days as drama unfolds

Well, this is good news.
Please can someone tell me if DSTV 20k, 3 months subscription is still on
or has ended?

Thanks.

Its a sad news for we Nigerians that indigenous companies finds it hard to live up to expectation, well i can not wait to hear HITV's side of the story if its going to be a sharing formula or they will both have right.

emmydee:

Well, this is good news.
Please can someone tell me if DSTV 20k, 3 months subscription is still on
or has ended?

Thanks.

Yep, it's still on,  tru a 'dealer/agent' with the installation fee all won't cost u more than 27k

Mogbe!!!I just paid 6K for my HiTV subscription

What will happen to my hitv?
Thank God i still kept my dstv.

Let us see how this will play out.

blank:

What will happen to my hitv?
Thank God i still kept my dstv.

Let us see how this will play out.

what will happen to ur Hitv in UK?
LOL

i can still use the decoder so no probs

all i need is th smartcard which i had b4 i switched.

now, im gonna go keep my Hitv smartcard just in case they swap it next year too

hehehe

temmytanny:

I called a pal in HITV now and he said they have paid but stil have some documentations to sort out wit EPL and so DSTV cant laid claim to the right of EPL.

But i think we should wait and see what happens in the next few days as drama unfolds

tell the pal u called to stop telling lies

Olumide and 'chairman' have been briefing the staff on how they lost the rights

they paid 40milla first year and they had outstanding of 80milla to pay for the 2nd and third year

EPL demanded Bank Guarantees to ensure the payment wont turn to stories when they demand for the money
ur boiz couldnt get GTBank to get the bank guarnatees in the days stipulated and subsequently requested for 4 more days

ur DSTV chaps paid CASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! on the spot and Mr scudamore and his men gave the rights to DSTV/Multichoice

as it is, its a deal gone sour!

shame

I have a DStv but I would always hope the best for HiTv even if it means me having to go to viewing centres around my area.

Its a Nigerian business employing Nigerians and also providing livelihood for hundreds of Nigerians.

I just sincerely hope this dont lead to their demise(although I dont expect them to die).


DSTV would continue to have patronage considering their already made customer base, with or without epl.

So Sad.

Thats the price we pay for operating in a Business environment that favours foreign more than indigenous, & let no smart ass from nairaland make any moronic comment on this topic because i have been in Subair's shoes before

implication of this ,

subcripion is higher, 9k to 11k to wash EPL
HITV staff might loss thier job (some)

However, HITV loss basicaly because of there failure to get bank guarantee for payment of the balance  $75m .
this is as a result of CBN decredit our financial institution, bank can not give out loan and even their letter of guarantee is not acceptable internationaly cos Soludo has expose them,
this is a bad news, to a financial analyst and thinker

i rest my case ,

Serves the bastards right, increased the subscription to 6k, as if that was not enough on the 3.5k package, they removed Sony entertainment channel and i was left with no sensible channel to watch, still they thought they were big guns, now am going to watch BBA ALL STARS AND BARCLAYS for free on my DSTV mobile for free, HITV you lack business strategy, vision and unfortunately focus. Good riddance to bad HITV.

Guk:

Thats the price we pay for operating in a Business environment that favours foreign more than indigenous, & let no smart backside from nairaland make any moronic comment on this topic because i have been in Subair's shoes before

i swear

i dunno how CBN couldnt fasten the process or give waivers just to ensure a Nigerian company does not die
they have many Nigerians on their payroll, signed alliances with coys to improve on services (Tinapa studio)

i dunno how the MD of GTB, Subair and Olumide Amure could not lobby CBN through the politicians to get necessary waivers

i know FBN got waivers for the seawolf deal from CBN to PPMC and other regulatory bodies just to ensure the survival and growth of seawolf

now HitV is suffering from institutional lapses and bottlenecks ( not really ineptitide)

its a shame this country dey really kill business i swear

i dey vex

I was reading comments on 234next.com on HITV loosing their rights to the EPL and was amazed how myopic people can be. Not holding brief for DSTV but I remember Toyin Subair and how he was able to get get government to break DSTV's monopoly kudos to him back then. He however forgot that DTH TV business is capital intensive if you borrow money from our banks to do this business am not sure if you will get far ask the likes of ATTN, Trend, MyTV, Daarsat etc how they're coping. Toyin Subair in a bid to hold on to his exclusivity had running battles with viewing centres, hotels, hospitals and other smaller players who wanted to be part of the show same thing he accused DSTV of doing we can all see the result now.I also strongly believe that he paid too much to un-seat DSTV 3 years ago. Ask Setanta, they paid too much for the EPL and today they are dead and buried. The thing is Toyin Subair with the same influence and manner he un-seated DSTV shouldn't have gone for a winner takes all approach 3 years ago. He should have tried to negotiate something where everyone gains something. He absolutely forgot that DSTV had much money than he can ever muster plus even if they have to borrow, certainly not from Nigeria where rates are between 21% to 25%. Now that the cash cow is gone Toyin Subair needs to go back to the drawing board and act fast, it is sure that majority of his subscriber will surely abandon ship and GT Bank will come calling. DSTV is reaping from what they have sown you do not walk before you start crawling. LEARN

Guk:

Thats the price we pay for operating in a Business environment that favours foreign more than indigenous, & let no smart backside from nairaland make any moronic comment on this topic because i have been in Subair's shoes before

In this particular case, how does the business environment favour foreign companies- this particular one was theirs to lose, when you know you have a MORE COMPETENT competitor sealing the deal before the previous season ends is the right thing to do! Nweke Jnr is not there anymore

And DStv even without the EPL still had huge following, Nigerian companies and their one product mentality

_{the south africans still beating us at our own backyard, well we can still bully Ghana small}

^^^ maybe Nweke would have helped them with the Bank Guarantee

this clealy shows our institutional inefficiencies
thats all

The SA chaps have money, and we dont

U dont expect Hitv and DSTV to be on the same footing as regards funding/financing of rights

so, the country should share in the blame

Truly the end of hiTV

something just came to my mind

if this happened in South Africa or any other country

would they allow a foreign company take the rights from a local company cos they couldnt pay?

wouldnt the Govt of the country help in facilitating the bank guarantee? cos the acquisition of the rights was solely dependent on that document

so wtf is wrong with our peeps/govt?

na wa

SAD NEWS

when HiTV won the EPL rights,  I told a close friends that i would never subscribe to their system, till am sure that they can develop their content (bring more intresting  programme on board like DSTV, not just EPL) because i had this believe, that sooner or latter they may lose the EPL right  and i would like to be left with another NTA like station (constant repeation of programme)

I just pray that they pick up them same  and not go down like other Nigeria business.

@tkb417 - Please note that CBN could not have facilitated anything here it is a deal between a customer and a bank $75m is a lot of money if u care to know, no bank is ready to stick its neck out for any business without good prospects. Why do you think GT Bank failed to give the necessary guarantee - the returns were not coming as expected and there is no need to incur further loses