SPORTS
Africa's Biggest Media Company Super Sports Secures Premier League Rights
By
Feb 5, 2009, 16:12

Africa's biggest media company announced on the BBC and Reuters that its unit Super Sport has secured the rights to broadcast all English Premier League soccer games from collapsed rival GTV. Super Sport, the new Premier League rights owner committed itself to following up with GTV customers and subscribers.

This transfer of Premier League rights came less than five days after GTV went bankrupt.  For customers and GTV agents like YES TV. Friday, January 30th 2009, was just another business day, when suddenly, without warning, late in the afternoon, GTV issues a press statement on its website and by email to its agents, announcing that it had gone bankrupt.  Less than one hour later, the GTV shut down all operations and cut transmission to all customers leaving customers and agents across 22 countries in Africa with financial losses and unanswered questions.

Just as shops and individuals selling mobile phone cards and top up cards have no say over mobile phone company strategy; it is the same in satellite TV.

Agents like YES TV, also simply sell the product and are never part of any GTV management or strategy or decision making.  So Yes TV, and other agents like YesTv all over Africa, had absolutely no knowledge or warning that GTV was shutting down.

As of today, Super Sport has obtained the rights from GTV to broadcast Premier League in Africa. We would like to thank all GTV customers for their support in these difficult times

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