Ugandan FA signs lucrative StarTimes deal

The Federation of Uganda Football Associations has today (Thursday) hailed a 10-year broadcast and sponsorship agreement with pan-African pay-television operator StarTimes.

The contract is worth $7.24m (€6.17m) and encompasses broadcast rights and title sponsorship of the Premier League and Big League, the top two tiers of domestic club football.

FUFA president Moses Magogo said, according to local newspaper New Vision: “The modern game needs money and there is no shortcut to that and we shall continue to work harder to get the money. Serious broadcasters invest for a long time and it’s the reason this partnership is for 10 years. This is a huge investment from a partner and we have a lot of confidence in it.”

The StarTimes deal comes after FUFA in January agreed a four-year media and commercial rights deal with local sports production and marketing company Sports Broadcasting – an agreement it stated would be transformational for the sport in the country.

The contract was set to run from June 1, 2018 to July 31, 2022 and was valued at $3m. It encompassed commercial and media rights for the Premier League, Big League and Uganda Cup.

“I would like to expound that the previous deal we had signed with Sports Broadcasting Limited has been mutually terminated,” Magogo added, according to the Nile Post website.