FIGHT FOR TV RIGHTS RAGES ON: SuperSport, StarTimes clash over Harambee Stars’ TV rights

FKF President Sam Nyamweya and Startimes' Garry Rathbone displays the signed deal during sponsorship ceremony at Nyayo Stadium on July 2, 2015.PHOTO/DENNIS OKEYO

Even before the ink dried on the broadcast deal between Football Kenya Federation and StarTimes, controversy has erupted over the live broadcasting of today’s Africa Nations Championships (CHAN) qualifier match between Harambee Stars and Ethiopia.

Pay television SuperSport waded into the matter, insisting they own Harambee Stars’ television rights, therefore, they will broadcast the match live from Nyayo Stadium at 4pm.

The statement by SuperSport is likely to spark trouble over the deal, after StarTimes announced in various newspapers yesterday that they will broadcast the fixture.

SuperSport General Manager for East Africa, Auka Gacheo, said they have been contracted by Africa football governing body (Caf) media partners Sportfive to show the match.

“We have the rights to all Caf qualifier matches and this includes CHAN fixtures. Therefore, our OB vans will be at Nyayo Stadium to broadcast the match live,” he said.

Auka’s statement came two days after Caf wrote a letter to FKF warning them against engaging other media partners as all such rights are held by Sportfive.

When announcing the broadcast deal on Thursday, StarTimes Director of Sports Gary Rathbone sought to clarify that it did not include Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup matches. Rathbone, however, insisted that CHAN matches and friendly fixtures were not affected by the agreement between Caf and Sportfive. FKF boss Sam Nyamweya also defended the deal and insisted that StarTimes will broadcast today’s match.

“This is our match and only FKF can give permission to a broadcaster to show it live. In this case, we have given the same to StarTimes. How will SuperSport show the match without our permission?” he wondered.

Asked whether FKF have cleared with Caf over the matter, Nyamweya said the continental body ‘does not interfere with how countries handle such deals’.

Shortly before Star Times and FKF signed the five-year Sh450 million deal, SportFive, which holds media rights for African Football Confederation (Caf) sent a tersely-worded letter to their potential rivals regarding televising today’s match live.

“We hereby refer to the press release published today (July 2) by Star Times and Football Kenya Federation and to the announcement that Star Times set to broadcast the match (Kenya vs Ethiopia) which is part of the preliminary tournament Chan 2016,” says the letter.

“We would remind you that Caf owns, on an exclusive basis, notably any and all of the rights usually refered as the “media rights” and emanating from the preliminary tournament CHAN 2016, including all the related matches and the match above mentioned without restrictions to content, time, place and law.

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