By Azeez Disu
Sports in Nigeria in the pre and post independent era was at a stage where the publics at all ages were so engrossed to the beautiful game of football, basketball, boxing and others. However, in recent times, the comparison is like a nightmare as sporting activities in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions have reduced to the barest minimum compare to the past. No wonder, producing world champions have been a challenge for the country, coupled with declining infrastructures, low government and private sector support.
The turbulent water keeps troubling the Nigerian sports and exposing youth to vices due to their idleness, and despite the fact that sports is a great tool for eradicating crime and Juvenile delinquency in the country, some youths are no so lucky as they find themselves engulfed in crimes due to their inability to engage in one sporting activity or the others.
Interestingly, quite a number of brands have been at the vanguard of changing the narrative. And one of such organisations with enviable contributions to sport development and the country at large is MultiChoice Nigeria.
No doubt, MultiChoice Nigeria has been contributing significantly to the development of sports in the country through its support for boxing, football, basketball and other sporting activities. This is aside its wide coverage of local and international sports events that expose talents and sports administrators to global best practices.
“In sport, we’ve supported teams and national leagues to reach new audiences, grow revenues and build their capabilities. Through SuperSport, we have made significant investments to encourage the development of sports, from licensing to content production, sponsorships and skills training.” The company stated on its website.
MultiChoice is promoting the development of sports in Nigeria through its partnerships with Nigerian Professional Football League, GOtv Boxing Night and among others.
“We actively develop sports in Nigeria, including our popular GOtv Boxing Night as well as previously supporting DStv Basketball and our sponsorship – and broadcasting – of the Nigerian Professional Football League which benefitted players, administrators, clubs, leagues and, perhaps most importantly, youth development,” the company disclosed.
Funding Sports In Nigeria
While sports is a popular form of entertainment that thrills those who engage in it and the followers, many have failed to realise that sports is a big business as well – a multi-billion naira industry. That was why John Abbamondi, vice president of the NBA’s Team Marketing & Business Operations division once described sports as “a people business.”
With high rate of unemployment in the country, sports is capable of creating jobs for many, generate income and support local, national and international economic development. On this, Former United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, once said, “Sport has become a world language, a common denominator that breaks down all the walls, all the barriers. It is a worldwide industry whose practices can have widespread impact. Most of all, it is a powerful tool for progress and for development.”
In retrospect, according to report in 2012, through with Supersport, one of the channel of DStv pay platforms, the company invested in excess of N9 billion ($58 million) in sports, training, production and broadcasting coverage and N135 million ($71000 in Nigerian basketball Sponsorship).
Interestingly, its investment in the local football league is helping to change the narrative about Nigerian football league and at the same time empowering young people. For example, it paid N11.8bn as licensing fees to Football clubs in Nigeria between 2011 and 2015 according to MultiChoice, Deloitte report on MultiChoice’s Economic Impact in Nigeria (Figures as of May 2017). The payment contributed to the growth of the industry.
Giving Hope To Football, Boxing And Others
Its sponsorship of boxing competition tagged ‘GOtv Boxing Night’; where young talents are discovered and their dream of becoming boxing legends like Muhammad Ali is fast becoming a reality. This has been applauded by many, both in Nigeria and across African Continent as another laudable effort.
Until 2017, the Nigerian Premier Basketball League was sponsored by DStv. It had both title and TV rights through the contract agreement which was the reason it was then referred to as the DStv Premier Basketball League.
These and other initiatives have continued to make the organization receive more accolades from sports enthusiasts, analysts and other stakeholders for its impact in youth and sports development in the country.
John Ugbe in an interview with a daily newspaper in 2016 said, “Just over a year ago, we took boxing as our pet projects. Before then, I don’t know anyone who had seen a Nigerian boxing match on TV or gone to the stadium to watch. I remember in the first edition, we had Jeremiah Okorodudu, one of our past Olympians and Joe Lasisi, two boxers who had a memorable bout in those days, sitting together. Anyone about my age would remember their rivalry. And on that day, it struck me that we are doing the right thing. Now few years later, the National Stadium Indoor Sports Hall is usually filled up to capacity. We have boxers now wining 1million naira, 1.5million and we’re changing their lives. It’s not just about the money, but the fact that they now have something to do. They are practising and there is a destination for them; there is hope.
“We started the same with the Nigerian Basketball League years back; we sponsored the league and put it on TV; and I think that league has continuously developed to a point where we even beat the number five team in the world to qualify for the Olympics. This time around, we got our full qualification from the African zone.”
Sport Stakeholders Applaud
President of the West African Boxing Union (WABU), Remi Aboderin, commended the MultiChoice management for introducing GOtv Boxing Night Mini, a smaller version of the popular GOtv Boxing Night, which made debut this year. Speaking in Lagos recently, Aboderin, who is also the Secretary-General of the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C), said GOtv Boxing Night Mini has the potential to take the sport to the next level.
“It is undisputable that GOtv Boxing Night is the most regular platform on which our professional boxers get to fight because it holds every three months or thereabouts. There are other promotions, but they are not of the same regularity, meaning that it is one for which most boxers aim. But with GOtv Boxing Night Mini, additional fight opportunities have been presented and many more boxers can benefit,” he said.
The WABU boss said that Ghanaian boxers, who usually have higher number of fights than their Nigerian counterparts of the same age and profile, have been benefiting from the regularity of promotions in their country.
He noted that the sponsors deserve commendation for introducing GOtv Boxing Night Mini, which increases their support for boxing in Nigeria.
“They have been spending a lot of money on GOtv Boxing Night and GOtv Boxing NextGen Search and have added GOtv Boxing Night Mini. They are probably the biggest supporters of the sport in Africa. I want to use this opportunity to call on other corporate bodies to join GOtv in their bid to move Nigerian boxing to higher heights,” he said.
In addition, Ex- Super Eagles and Spanish La Liga star, Mutiu Adepoju, described the maiden edition of the GOtv MAX Cup, an international friendly tournament organized by MultiChoice, in which LaLiga giants, Atletico Madrid, played with Nigeria’s Super Eagles Team B, at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital as commendable. What made it important is that most of the Nigerian players were home based players who robbed shoulders with Europe-based professional players who have seen it all.
“MultiChoice, SuperSport and GOtv have done well for Nigeria and Nigerian football by bringing Atletico Madrid to Nigeria. It shows they are keen on rewarding subscribers and putting Nigeria on the global football map, and they are also providing an opportunity for our players to be noticed by big European teams. They have supported Nigerian sports through the years and I’m happy they have not relented,” explained Adepoju, who is also the La Liga ambassador in Nigeria.
The Honours
Frontline Digital Terrestrial Television service, GOtv, and SuperSport, the leading sports promoter and broadcaster on the DStv and GOtv platforms won big at the 25th anniversary celebration of the National Institute for Sports (NIS).
While GOtv emerged the Outstanding Grassroots Sports Programme Television Station 2019, SuperSport won in two categories as Outstanding Sports Promoting Television Station of the Decade (2019) and the Outstanding Television Sports Programme of the Decade. MultiChoice Nigeria also emerged the Outstanding Sports Promoting Company of the Decade.
While receiving the awards on behalf of Chief Customer Officer MultiChoice Nigeria, Martin Mabutho said the awards are in recognition of firm’s effort in delivering the best content across its various platforms. He added that the company remains committed to providing quality services for its subscribers.
“MultiChoice will continue to make great entertainment more accessible to Nigerians by delivering quality sports and local content to its customers,” Mabutho stated.