BEVERLY HILLS, February 27, (THEWILL) – African fans of the English Premier League club Manchester United are having their fantasies come true as they are set to gain access to the premium television channel owed and operated by the English club, MUTV.
This comes under an agreement between MUTV and one of the continent’s leading digital TV operators, StarTimes, a Chinese digital terrestrial and satellite television company.
The agreement will enable StarTimes distribute MUTV to their subscribers in over 30 countries across sub-Saharan African. The subscriber base involved will make this distribution the biggest agreement of its kind by United in this region of the continent.
Exclusive Old Trafford-based content not available anywhere else will be viewable by StarTimes subscribers in countries including Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Ghana in a 24-hour-a-day basis as is popular with digital broadcasting.
This represents a significant inclusion in the StarTimes bouquet of offerings as MUTV is the world’s leading football club TV channel, and it features first team and Academy games, live manager’s press conferences, player interviews, award-winning documentaries and news for their teeming global audience.
It is perfect for StarTimes’ growing base which currently has over 13 million subscribers to its Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) digital TV service and about 20 million users of its Over-The-Top (OTT) streaming service. Access to premium United content serves to widen access to top-quality digital entertainment throughout sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.
Phil Lynch, who is the Chief Executive of Media at Manchester United, commented on the impact of the agreement: “We are proud to have hundreds of millions of passionate fans in Africa and this long-term agreement will allow them to get closer to the club through MUTV’s exclusive, round-the-clock content from Old Trafford and the AON Training Complex.
“MUTV is one of our most important channels for engaging with fans around the world, whether through linear or direct-to-consumer streaming platforms, and we are excited to be significantly increasing its reach through our new partner, StarTimes, in Africa.”
For Kristen Miao, the Sports Deputy Director at StarTimes: “Manchester United is one of the most iconic football clubs in the world. We are delighted to share MUTV with football fans across Africa as part as our commitment to enhancing our subscribers’ experience.”
StarTimes currently reaches the following African countries with its growing subscriber base:
Angola, Botswana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho and Liberia,
Others are: Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Reunion, Rwanda, St. Helena and Ascension Island, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
