MTN Uganda has boosted her footprint in local football league with a new partnership that makes the telecom giant the official broadcast partner of the Star Times Uganda Premier league (SUPL).
The broadcast partnership is between MTN Uganda and Sanyuka TV, a brand under the Next Media Group. Sanyuka TV acquired exclusive rights to broadcast the Startimes Uganda premier league meaning Sports fans across Uganda are able to access pretty much all football content from the local league.
Speaking at the official launch activation at the Startimes stadium in Lugogo, MTN Uganda CEO Wim Vanhelluputte said that the main reason MTN entered this partnership is because the company is interested in bringing back the nostalgic love that Ugandans used to have for the local football masterpiece.
The activation was held with lots of fanfare involving players from MTN, Next media, former football legends, musicians and other entertainers.
“Back in the day, Ugandans were very enthusiastic about their local football. You can see some of that love when the national team is playing. But over the years, other leagues have managed to capture that space in the hearts of local football fans and that’s the narrative we are looking at changing,” Vanhelleputte said.
“With this sponsorship, MTN will bring the excitement from live Ugandan Premiership matches to the homes of millions of football fans in Uganda. We believe that working together, we shall be able to bring back the love for the local league and eventually draw more Ugandans to the local stadia to watch local games,” Vanhelleputte said
This sponsorship continues the legacy MTN has built over the years with her support for football and clearly demonstrates the telecom company’s passion for the game. MTN is currently the lead sponsor of the local outfit, Onduparaka FC. MTN also sponsored the national team and has run a number of grassroots football development programs.
For those that are not able to attend live games, MTN together with Sanyuka TV are putting up viewer packs where matches are screened live at various locations in around the city. There will also be ‘man of the match’ and ‘fan of the day’ activations with several prizes to be won.
Next Media Services CEO Kin Kalisa said they are keen to take Ugandan sports, particularly football, closer to the Ugandans regardless of where they might be in the country.
“We’ve partnered with Star Times to have exclusive rights to broadcast the Uganda Premier League, the only league that matters. We’re now the sole broadcaster of the UPL but that’s just a tip of the iceberg. The UPL is a bench mark for what we intend to do to re-energize Ugandan sports. We are very happy that we have now been joined by the leading sports fan in Uganda, MTN and together, we believe we shall redefine football and sports broadcasting in the country,” Kalisa said.
Sanyuka TV is rebranding to a sports channel with a good number of shows geared towards sports, delivered in English and Luganda.
“Our ambition first is promote and grow our local talent in sports and then to become a leading sports content provider in Uganda and East Africa. We need to carve a niche in East African sports broadcasting through our new exclusive and diverse sports portfolio.”
