Why GTV Can’t Telecast Some Russia 2018 World Cup Matches

The worlds biggest sporting event, the FIFA World Cup 2018 is currently underway in Russia but the Ghanaian National Broadcaster, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation has failed to live up to the expectations of many with their promise of bringing Russia to Ghanaian homes.

Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GTV) has since 1990 been very consistent in showcasing almost every World Cup game to their numerous viewers and their inability to follow suit this year has led to many public uproar, considering their coverage capacity and the number of citizens that depends on their feed to catch glimpse of the flagship event.

But can they be blamed?

It can’t be confirmed if GBC applied for the open tendering process, but what is known in summary is that FIFA awarded the media broadcasting rights for 2018 FIFA World Cup in Sub-Saharan Africa to:

1. DSTV SuperSport – Pay TV broadcast across sub-Saharan Africa
2. SABC – FTA broadcast only in South Africa 
3. StarTimes – Pay TV broadcast in sub-Saharan Africa except South Africa
4. Econet Media: Kwese TV – both FTA and Pay TV broadcast in sub-Saharan Africa except South Africa 
5. CANAL+ –  Pay TV broadcast in sub-Saharan Africa except South Africa and Nigeria

Econet Media (Kwese TV) later granted a third party media broadcasting rights of only 32 live matches to GBC and Metro TV, hence the Nation’s broadcaster is unable to telecast all 64 matches of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Below are excerpts of the Media Release by FIFA on 2017-2018 media rights for sub-Saharan Africa

The following broadcasters have been awarded certain media rights with regard to the 2018 FIFA World Cup:

1. Econet Media, by way of free-to-air and pay-TV transmission for exploitation in all territories of sub‑Saharan Africa except South Africa;
2. Supersport, by way of pay-TV transmission for exploitation in all territories of sub‑Saharan Africa;
3. SABC, by way of free-to-air transmission for exploitation in South Africa;
4. StarTimes, by way of pay-TV transmission for exploitation in all territories of sub-Saharan Africa except South Africa; and
5. CANAL+, by way of pay-TV transmission for exploitation in all territories of sub-Saharan Africa except South Africa and Nigeria.

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