Exit SuperSport, enter StarTimes

The revival of the season-opening gala will be one of the main features of the whopping $17.9million StarTimes massive media sponsorship deal to project Ghana Football globally.

The landmark deal signed between Africa’s leading pay TV operator, StarTimes Group, and the Ghana Football Association (GFA) in China last Tuesday, will mark the return of the suspense-filled two-day gala which saw Premier League clubs converging at the Accra Stadium to unveil their newly-recruited players and also fine-tune for the new season.

Though the 10-year sponsorship has already stirred a heated debate in football circles over the duration, the FA sees it as a lifetime opportunity which happened just at a time Supersport had decided not to renew its Broadcast Rights Agreement for the Ghana Premier League after a three-year period.

President Kwesi Nyantakyi, who led the GFA delegation to Beijing, China, to seal the deal, is reported to have noted at the signing ceremony that, “StarTimes is a world brand and well-known in the whole of Africa. Ghana football is also a well-known brand and our national team is one of strongest powers in Africa,” in reference to the new partnership between StarTimes and the FA.

“We authorise media rights of all major leagues or tournaments under Ghana Football Association to StarTimes, and StarTimes will deeply involve itself in the production and promotion of these leagues and bring much investment to our country.”

The president of StarTimes Group, Pang Xinxing, also told reporters at the signing ceremony that “the partnership between StarTimes and Ghana Football Association is not only the cooperation between the two sides, but also the starting of cooperation between China and Africa in the football industry.”

“We would like to bring more excellent football matches to nearly nine million subscribers of StarTimes in Africa and we may introduce the Ghana Premier League to Chinese football fans in the future, being a bridge between Chinese and African sports industries”, he said.

The refreshing entry of StarTimes interestingly coincided with the exit of Supersport who announced the expiry of its three-year contract with the GFA at a press conference last Wednesday.

The new strategic partnership agreement will see StarTimes acquiring all media rights of the Ghana Premier League, the Gala, the National Division One League, the MTN FA Cup, the Ghana Women’s League and the Ghana Juvenile League for the next 10 years.

StarTimes will pay $17,950,000 for the deal, provide 10 artificial pitches and a fully equipped modern OB van for the GFA over the next 10 years.

Meanwhile, all things being equal, the league might not commence on December 18 as scheduled after the Premier League Board (PLB) had proposed December 16 as the date for this year’s PLB Awards.

Also, the GFA Congress, which is supposed to lower the curtain of the 2015/2016 season, is slated for December 12.