E1bn missed opportunity
MBABANE – This is how Eswatini Television Authority (ESTVA) has not entered into the same broadcast rights deal with the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE).
The country’s only national television broadcaster in government funded Eswatini TV missed out on the opportunity to host the PLE Show due to lack of equipment. This saw the PLE clinching a deal with Media Mora that has put the football product on SuperSport’s pay-perview channel.
This was disclosed by the PLE’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kenneth Makhanya during a press briefing to postpone the inaugural MoMo Cup 2022 finals. This was at MTN Eswatini Headquarters in Ezulwini on Thursday.
This comes after the PLE secured a deal with South Africa’s (SA) payper-view channel SuperSport to be the official broadcaster of the country’s top flight football and run a show marketing the domestic brand of top flight football.
It is worth mentioning that the show first premiered yesterday on the commercial broadcaster on two channels, the SuperSport GOtv Select 2 and SuperSport
Variety 4 Africa at 5pm. It was also launched on its premiere day at Esibayeni Lodge in Matsapha on Friday evening.
The former SA’s DStv Premiership outfit Mamelodi Sundowns Manager, Makhanya said it was not like they overlooked the local broadcaster over the pay-per-view channel, but Eswatini TV does not have the needed equipment for such a programme. “Eswatini TV does not have the top of the range equipment called 4K cameras for this show, but as soon as they have them, we will engage them,” Makhanya said.
RIGHTS
He, however, highlighted that the television station should pay PLE the rights to broadcast the games to generate money as for now the only lifeline as an organisation was their sponsor MTN Eswatini.
The 4K camera, otherwise known as Professional Camcorders used by SuperSport for sporting activities cost around E180 000 each and to capture good angles the television station needs around four cameras. In total, this means that they have to fork out E720 000 to be considered by the PLE for this initiative.
The cheapest 4K camera cost around E30 563, which means that Eswatini TV needs around E122 252 for four of the cameras, but these are not of high quality. The PLE and Eswatini TV last season clinched a highlights show deal, worth E512 000 which took eight months that was signed and launched at Sigwaca House by PLE Chairman Mark Carmichael and the station’s Acting CEO Kenneth Maziya.
That deal is one indication that the station can afford to purchase the equipment and train its personnel further with a little more funds injected to its development. This would also attract a wider audience like SuperSport who aired the first show in their channels on Friday and yesterday. Some government officials including Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs Minister Harries ‘Madze’ Bulunga and Eswatini Football Association (EFA) President Peter ‘Samora’ Simelane, among others, were featured in the first episode of the show.
The deal was described by Carmichael as a ground breaking one that would help the PLE cross the bridge to professionalism and give it financial independency. The television station’s Corporate Affairs Manager Mncedisi Mayisela said he could not immediately comment as he was out of the country.