SportyTV, a leading African free-to-air sports broadcaster, has secured an exclusive deal with Iris Sport Media to broadcast the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup across multiple African markets. This move is set to revolutionize the way soccer fans in South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya engage with international club soccer competitions.
The agreement will see 26 out of the tournament’s 63 games exclusively broadcast by SportyTV. The selected matches will be aired on both the broadcaster's primary linear channel and its digital platform sporty.com.
The broadcasting package includes, 19 group stage fixtures, three round-of-16 games, two quarter-finals, and one match each from the semi-finals and final. Furthermore, every match featuring Mamelodi Sundowns - South Africa's representative and sole team from sub-Saharan Africa - will be showcased on SportyTV.
Highlighting key matches
In addition to showcasing local talent through Mamelodi Sundowns' fixtures against Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Fluminense (Brazil), and Ulsan HD (South Korea), other prominent matches that will be aired include PSG vs Atlético Madrid, Flamengo vs Chelsea, Real Madrid vs Al Hilal, and Lionel Messi's Inter Miami vs Porto.
This rights deal aligns perfectly with SportyTV’s imminent launch of its free-to-air network offering in Kenya. The competition is set to kick off on June 15th 2025 at various venues across the US before culminating with a grand finale on July 13th.
Iris Sports Media acquired distribution rights across Sub-Saharan Africa from global rights holder DAZN earlier this year. To maximize distribution and exposure for this prestigious event, Iris collaborated with Marketing & Media Solutions (MMS) and PC Plus Group firms, both of which have extensive experience in the sector.
Other sub-licensing deals
The only other sublicensing deal for the Club World Cup in Africa was struck by MBC Group, a Saudi-owned FTA broadcaster, with DAZN for Egypt.
DAZN had acquired the CWC rights last December for approximately $1 billion and promptly set out to secure regional and national sublicensing deals across the globe to enhance event distribution. Iris Sports Media has also brokered several sublicensing deals on behalf of DAZN in Central America with broadcasters such as Teletica (Costa Rica), Canal 4 TCS (El Salvador), TV Azteca (Guatemala), Televicentro (Honduras), Canal 13 (Nicaragua), and Next TV (Panama).
This exclusive broadcasting deal between SportyTV and Iris Sports Media marks a significant milestone in African sports broadcasting. It not only provides an opportunity for fans to engage more closely with international soccer but also paves the way for future partnerships that can further elevate sports coverage across Africa.
