BFL, Btv finalise broadcast deal
After months of uncertainty, state broadcaster, the Depaqrtment of Broadcasting Services (DBS) is on the verge of being confirmed as the Botswana Football League (BFL) broadcast partner.
DBS incorporates Botswana Television (Btv) and Radio Botswana (RB1).
The two are finalising a deal that will see Btv and RB1 continue to broadcast the local league, starting with the 2021-2022 season.
Responding to Mmegi Sport inquiry, BFL chief executive officer Solomon Ramochotlhwane said while he was not in a position to divulge details, the two entities are in talks and nearing the last stages of negotiations.
“The negotiations are ongoing and will be concluded in the not too distant future. We expect to sign the deal very soon,” he said. Btv and RB1 have been the elite league football broadcasters for a long time bar for one season when Supersport took over in 2014. The recent BBS five-year deal ended last year. Three of the five years were paid for but the remaining two were cashless, meaning matches were broadcast for free. Upon the conclusion of the deal, football fans were left to wonder if the games would return to their radio and television sets.
This comes at a time when football fans will be kept away from stadiums due to restrictions brought by COVID-19. The new season starts on September 11, 2021, but the BFL is still to secure the league’s title sponsor with talks continuing with interested parties. The competition was left without a sponsor following the departure of telecommunications company, Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC), after more than a decade-long deal.