African continental sporting events and television: A difficult relationship to build

Abstract

The mid-90s witnessed the African mediascape transformation from satellite television to more recently, TV live streaming. The African Confederation of Football (CAF) rapidly embraced the business opportunity provided by broadcasting rights revenues of the most prestigious African football competition, the African Cup of Nations (AFCON). For Athletics, badminton, and table tennis, their continental events and capacity to attract television broadcasting to generate revenues still need to be improved. The limited popularity and viewership potential impediment the possibility of attracting Free-to-air (FTA) public or private services or transnational pay-tv broadcasters. Nevertheless, Internet streaming and Over-the-Top create opportunities for sports with small audiences to broadcast their continental competitions, increase their sports awareness, and build audiences in Africa. Besides AFCON, alternative broadcasting approaches are necessary for other continental sporting events to generate revenues.