The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has announced a groundbreaking partnership with Tanzanian company Azam TV to broadcast the top-tier Premier League (FKFPL) in a lucrative seven-year agreement, initially valued at $1 million (Approximately Ksh145.5 million).
Both the FKF and Azam have confirmed that the contract spans an initial five years, with the possibility of a two-year extension.
However, due to Tanzania’s 15% withholding tax regulations, the Federation will receive $850,000. Furthermore, the overall sponsorship value will witness an annual increase of $100,000 (Approximately Ksh14.6 million). “This marks a monumental stride for Kenyan football. We’re thrilled to finally unveil this partnership. The negotiations were challenging and extensive, and today, we’re here to reveal the comprehensive agreement,” expressed FKF President Nick Mwendwa.
He continued, “Our intention is to uphold this contract steadfastly and hopefully witness improvements that would enable us to approach Azam for increased investment. This, of course, hinges on us demonstrating the value of our product.”
Nonetheless, Mwendwa has refrained from disclosing individual club earnings from the deal. He assured that these details will emerge once “one or two more deals” are finalized in the forthcoming weeks.
“We’re engaged with a couple of other potential partners, and as I discussed with club leaders earlier this week, we’re in discussions with two additional prospective partners. Once these agreements are finalized, we’ll reconvene to announce the share each club will receive,” Mwendwa conveyed during the deal’s unveiling at a Nairobi hotel. Azam TV’s Chief Operations Officer (COO), Yahya Mohammed, outlined their initial broadcasting plan.
They plan to air four games every weekend, commencing after the international break for the inaugural year. “We’ve brought along two outside broadcasting vans, so initially, we’ll select and broadcast four matches every weekend. Our objective is to ultimately cover every game in the league, much like we do in Tanzania, starting from the second year,” Yahya stated.
Azam TV conducted a trial broadcast with the FKF last season, airing two live matches, the Mashemeji Derby between Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards and the Tusker FC versus Kariobangi Sharks match.
From these trial broadcasts, the Federation allocated Ksh300,000 to each participating club. “We’re thrilled to enter the Kenyan market and explore the opportunities it presents. We recognize the immense potential in Kenyan football, and we’re eager to be part of it,” Yahya expressed.
Azam TV will introduce a dedicated channel, Azam Four, exclusively for Premier League content, ensuring comprehensive coverage of Kenyan football.
