Elegbeleye insists only StarTimes sought NPFL’s broadcast rights

The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has reiterated that the broadcast rights’ deal signed with Startimes was not just the only offer it received at the time, but the best-negotiated partnership that came after over six years of the league not shown on television.

NPFL Chairman, Gbenga Elegbeleye, made this submission in response to a publication that suggested that the NPFL snubbed an offer of $11 million proposed elsewhere.

“When the Interim Management Committee (IMC), which I headed came on board, there was not a single sponsorship for the league but we later got an investment partner in GTI that guaranteed N1 billion for the season,” Elegbeleye stated.

He recalled that amongst several other terms of reference, the IMC was mandated to secure television broadcasts for the league.

“It is on record that the last effective broadcast partnership the NPFL had was with Supersport and it was terminated in 2016. Thereafter the league went on without a proper broadcast partner until we signed Propel Sports Africa for streaming and shortly after, Startimes for Direct to Home Satellite broadcast.

“These deals were not signed overnight, but took painstaking negotiations that lasted for months because we wanted to make sure it was the right thing to do,” explained Elegbeleye.

He said that the NPFL had at the outset insisted that it was open to offers and actually knocked on the doors of several corporate organisations pitching sponsorship of the league.

“We spent time and personal resources travelling to court Corporate Nigeria to sponsor the league with our investment partners, GTI and we invested in efforts to rebrand the league.

“A consultant was hired for venue branding which offers in-stadium exposure to our potential sponsors