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CAF announces increase of $21.6m in commercial revenues

Published

1 year ago

July 13, 2023

The Confederation of African Football (CAF), on Thursday, posted commercial revenues of USD $125.2 million – a 17% year on year increase.

The African football governing body made the disclosure at the its 45th Ordinary General Assembly (“OGA”) in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

CAF said the significant increase of $21.6 million in revenue growth over the previous financial year was largely driven by an increase in both CAF’s sponsorship and television rights, setting the organisation firmly on a path to financial recovery.

The total competition expenses on prize money and tournaments for the year increased by 26% to $78.9 million, as CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe made good on the organisation’s promise to invest more money in CAF competitions and in making African football self-sustaining.

The body said it had to take some difficult decisions on the longstanding dispute with some of its partners by settling matters out of court.

This, plus other accounting standards provisions recommended by CAF auditors, it noted were fully provided for in the financials.

In the year under review, CAF stated that it recorded an improved total comprehensive loss position of $15.7 million from prior year position.

The Inter Club competitions (TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup) CAF Super Cup, CAF Women’s Champions League, FUTSAL and Africa Schools Program are expected to be delivered in the 2023/2024 financial year with a projected budget of $110 million, dedicated to organisation and prize money of these premier competitions.

The increased financial resources for the delivery of CAF Competitions seeks to increase the global popularity and stature of CAF’s blue chip tournaments.

The continental football body further stated that development expenditure increased from $19.3 million to almost $24 million, on account of an increase in the subvention pay out to Member Associations and Zonal Unions for Football Development on the continent.

According to CAF, its investment in football development is expected to continue with a focus on Women and Youth competitions, capacity development of referees, investment in Video Assistant Referees (VAR) at the zonal level and strengthening governance and controls around funding to the Member Associations and Zones.

CAF has projected a further revenue increase in this financial year – on the back of the upcoming TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023.

The flagship tournament is scheduled to kick off in January 2024 in Cote d’Ivoire and is expected to provide a considerable boost to CAF’s coffers.

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Ambrose Ijeh

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Media

How To Stream AC Milan vs Liverpool Match Online For Free

Published

2 months ago

September 17, 2024

Ambrose Ijeh

How To Stream AC Milan vs Liverpool Match Online For Free

An online streaming service has exclusive rights to the big Champions League match – but it’s easy to watch it for free.

Liverpool will be returning to the Champions League on Tuesday night, hoping to get back to winning ways on the opening night of the new campaign, facing old foes AC Milan.

The side, who previously faced Milan in the 2005 and 2007, suffered a 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, so they will be hoping to get back to winning ways this week.

However, Milan have also had a tumultuous ride so far, with the team currently in 9th after four games, despite a solid 4-0 win over Venezia at the weekend.

It’s shaping up to be a thrilling match, then, with both teams having plenty to prove, and you can watch it for free on Amazon Prime Video.

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Ambrose Ijeh

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LaLiga Signs 2024-25 Broadcast Deal With China Media Group

Published

2 months ago

September 11, 2024

Ambrose Ijeh

LaLiga Signs 2024-25 Broadcast Deal With China Media Group

Spanish soccer’s top-tier LaLiga has unveiled state-run China Media Group (CMG) as its official broadcast partner in the country.

Through a deal announced today, CMG returns as a Chinese broadcaster of the 20-team Spanish league.

The tie-up has come with the 2024-25 campaign already four matchdays in and follows a memorandum of understanding between the two parties in late July.

Last season (2023-24), LaLiga action was shown in China by the Migu streaming service, while rights for 2024-25 have also been snapped up by the iQiyi digital broadcaster.

Javier Tebas, president of LaLiga, has said: “China remains a key market for LaLiga, and we are thrilled to bring our league’s unique passion and excitement to Chinese fans through one of the most influential media platforms in the country.”

Over the last few weeks, LaLiga has been scrambling to add more partners to its stable of broadcasters for this season.

Earlier this month, a significant deal across numerous African markets was unveiled with SportyTV, while mid-August saw BeIN Sports extend its exclusive rights deals across the Middle East and North Africa, and Asia-Pacific.

Domestically, DAZN and Movistar are the main rights-holders through deals running between 2022 and 2027.

Sportcal

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Ambrose Ijeh

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Belgium’s Pro League Launches Five-Season Domestic Rights Tender

Published

2 months ago

September 11, 2024

Ambrose Ijeh

Belgian soccer’s top-tier Pro League has gone to market with a domestic media rights tender for the five seasons between 2025 and 2030.

The tender was launched recently (September 9), and the Pro League is being strategically supported by the heavyweight IMG agency – through a deal unveiled last October – during the process.

The deadline for prospective rights-holders to submit bids is October 16, with a Pro League general assembly to then evaluate the bids on October 18.

Interested parties can obtain the tender documents by contacting tender2025@proleague.be.

The 16-team Pro League’s domestic and international rights are currently held by global sports streaming service DAZN – which acquired previous rights-holder Eleven Sports in 2023 – in a five-year deal running through the 2024-25 season. Eleven tapped sports agency Mediapro to distribute international rights in partnership with the league.

In total, eight rights packages are available for purchase – three specifically for the Pro League (others cover the second-tier Challenger Pro League and various domestic cup competitions).

A new development in this tender is that the packages are platform-neutral, meaning they cover both linear and streaming rights.

In terms of kick-off times for games across the five seasons covered by the tender, meanwhile, the Pro League has said these “remain virtually unchanged.”

IMG, meanwhile, also has a contract in place to collect and commercialize the Pro League’s fastpath data in a five-year agreement with European Leagues running from 2022-23 to 2027-28.