The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Gotv

  • The Emirates FA Cup back on DStv, GOtv

    MultiChoice Africa, through SuperSport, has acquired the rights to air the 2018/19 Emirates FA Cup season on DStv and GOtv in Sub-Saharan Africa. The season, which kicked off in August 2018, will commence in 2019 with third-round matches from January 4.

    “Our aim is to deliver a front-row view of the best football titles in the world for our valued DStv and GOtv customers so, from January 4 2019, they will be able to enjoy the Emirates FA Cup on SuperSport channels,” says John Ugbe – CEO of MultiChoice Nigeria.

    Customers will get access to the third round of FA Cup from January 4-6 alongside MultiChoice’s other major football title acquisitions, the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga and Champions League. Viewers can stream all the live football action on the DStv Now app to watch from wherever they are.

    This announcement follows the recent announcement of the UFC which will also begin airing on SuperSport from January 2019. “

  • How GOtv Boxing Night made us stars – Joe Boy, Real One

    African Boxing Union lightweight champion, Oto “Joe Boy” Joseph, and Rilwan “Real One” Oladosu, West African Boxing Union lightweight champion, have attributed their rise to fame and fortune to GOtv Boxing Night. Both boxers have enjoyed a meteoric rise in boxing in addition to winning the best boxer award at the event.

    Joe Boy, who made his professional debut at GOtv Boxing Night 1 after an impressive reign as amateur champion, is a three-time winner of the Mojisola Ogunsanya Prize for the best boxer and has once been a second runner-up. He won N1million twice, N1.5million once and N500, 000 for emerging second runner-up. Oladosu has won the biggest ever sum in the history of GOtv Boxing Night, walking away with N2.5million at GOtv Boxing Night 13 in 2017.

    Speaking of the impact of GOtv Boxing Night on his career, Oladosu said the event has ensured that he has had the opportunity to fight regularly, become national and sub-national champion as well as given him financial breakthrough.

    “It was through GOtv Boxing Night that I became the national and West African champion. I am also happy and proud to be the winner of the biggest amount at GOtv Boxing Night when I won N2.5million. I am seen on television across Africa. This is very encouraging and has inspired me to aim higher. I will be in action at GOtv Boxing Night 17, where I hope to put in a good fight,” he said.

    Joe Boy, who is equally billed to fight at GOtv Boxing Night 17 holding at the Tafawa Balewa Square on December 28, is of similar persuasion.

    “Without the intervention of GOtv, I do not think that people like me would have had the opportunities currently available. GOtv Boxing Night has given hope to Nigeria boxing and, of course, boxers. We are now respected across Africa and we are better paid than ever before,” said the ABU lightweight champion.

    GOtv Boxing Night 17 will feature eight fights, including the World Boxing Federation (WBF) Intercontinental super featherweight title bout and musical performances by Burna Boy, Wande Coal, Teni da Entertainer, Daddy Showkey, TJ Classic and OJ Flamez. The best boxer will go home with  N1.5million.

  • GOtv Boxing Night brings WBF title bout to Nigeria

    The 17th edition of GOtv Boxing Night (GOtv Boxing Night 17) will be headlined by the World Boxing Federation (WBF) Intercontinental super featherweight bout between Nigeria’s Seun Wahab and Tanzania’s Issa “Peche Boy” Nampepeche.

    This was announced on Thursday by the organisers at a press conference in Lagos. The WBF Intercontinental super featherweight clash entitles to the winner to take a shot at the WBF world title in the division.

    The fight is one of the two international clashes billed to take place at the event holding on 28 December at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos. The second international duel in the eight-fight line-up will see US-based Nigerian Oluwafemi “The Eagle” Oyeleye take on Meshack “Smart Boy” Mwankemwa of Tanzania in a middleweight challenge.  Also scheduled to be in action is crowd favourite, Olaide “Fijaborn” Fijabi, who will face Yusuf Mufutau in a light welterweight challenge contest.

    Fights on the card also include national lightweight challenge duels between African Boxing Union champion, Oto “Joe Boy” Joseph and Hammed “Ese” Hammed Ganiyu; Rilwan “Real One” Oladosu against Mubarak Hamzat; and Ridwan “Scorpion” Oyekola against Nurudeen “Prince” Fatai. In the middleweight division, Femi :Small Tyson”  Akintayo will take on Ebubechukwu “Coded Man” Eze, a graduate of GOtv Boxing NextGen Search 1. The bantamweight division will see action between the best boxer at GOtv Boxing Night 4, Opeyemi Adeyemi, squaring up with Jamiu Dada.

    President of the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C), Dr. Rafiu Ladipo, said the WBF title fight is a sign of GOtv’s desire to put the country back on the world boxing map. GOtv Boxing Night 17, which will feature live artiste performances, will be broadcast live on Supersport to viewers in 47 African countries.

    The best boxer at the event will go home with N1.5million and the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Trophy. Fans who attend the event will win GOtv decoder in raffle draws. GOtv Boxing Night is supported by MultiChoice, BetKing, Paragonis Multimedia Limited, Complete Sports, Bond FM, Newsbreak.ng, and Brilla FM.

  • Seven years after: GOtv blazing the trail in DTT in Nigeria

    About a decade ago, the prospect of Nigerians enjoying world class digital terrestrial television remained an elusive dream as the country trailed behind other developing and developed nations in this area.  Memories and experiences of television, outside premium pay TV offerings, were limited to the provision of outdated programming by public and private terrestrial broadcasters which was in turn hindered by sub-par audio-visual quality and production values.

    In 2011, however, all of that changed in Ibadan, the birthplace of African television, as the nation was put on the right track with the launch of GOtv which also premiered the advanced DVB-T2 digital broadcasting standard. This guaranteed premium grade audio-visual quality and at the same time, showed readiness to lead the country’s march towards digitization.

    A whole new vista was opened as the ease of GOtv hardware installation made it an instant hit among subscribers, with the service currently available in over 50 cities in 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory.  While people like me, who rarely operate anything more complex than the zipper on my trousers, had to call in installers, those with most basic familiarity with technical stuff had no problem installing the hardware, as it required no satellite dish.

    A greater part of GOtv’s appeal to customers, however, lies in its impressive channel line-up, programming and of course, affordability. Available to GOtv subscribers are the best of the Spanish and Italian football leagues, La Liga and Serie A, what industry pundits would refer to as big ticket content! In addition, the platform boasts of top-tier local and international channels and programmes available on its sister platform, DStv. Also available are local terrestrial television stations popularly referred to as Free-to-Air (FTA) channels. In line with its desire to be innovative, the platform was also the first DTT service provider to carry audio channels, when it added Wazobia FM and Naija FM to its video channels.

    From a single package in 2011, GOtv now offers four packages namely GOtv MAX, GOtv Plus, GOtv Value and GOtv Lite, with the last offering customers flexible payment plans of N400 monthly, N1, 050 quarterly and N3, 100 yearly. GOtv MAX, the platform’s fattest package with over 65 world class channels, now costs N3, 200 monthly.

    But beyond affordability, ease of access and use for viewers, what does the seventh year of GOtv’s operations mean for the Nigerian broadcast industry, especially with fast changing TV consumption habits and the race for a global digital switchover? From a policy standpoint, GOtv’s operations contribute to Nigeria’s digital switchover which in turn substantially buoys the country’s GDP. With a population over 180 million people and a TV penetration of just about 2.5 million digital TV homes, the potential is endless and GOtv continues to serve as template for the effective implementation and deployment of quality, feasible and scalable advancements in DTT provision that meets global broadcast standards whilst spurring local creative, technical and entrepreneurial sectors, industries and economies.

    The impact of GOtv can also be seen in the celebration and promotion of our local content industry. With three channels devoted to broadcast in the country’s three major languages have come bigger investments in acquisition of local creative content, the result of which has been a spike in the patronage of producers.

    Through a variety of skill impartation and entrepreneurship schemes, GOtv has created thousands of employment opportunities for Nigerians. This, notably, has seen young men and women trained and hired sales canvassers, installers, retailers and maintenance personnel, called GOtv Sabimen, who move from door-to-door to resolve technical issues and customers’ complaints. According to a Deloitte report on MultiChoice’s Economic Impact in Nigeria (2017), there are 2,937 Sabimen while there are also thousands of installers, retailers and tens of dealers.

    Another major impact of GOtv can be gleaned from its efforts to develop Nigerian boxing through GOtv Boxing Night. The event, which started in 2014, was conceived to rescue the sport from the pit of near-irrelevance it slipped into for about two decades.

    Now in its third year, GOtv Boxing Night has remade the sport locally and won admirers around the continent, where it is beamed live to audiences in 47 countries. The event has made previously unknown Nigerian boxers local and continental superstars and rekindled domestic interest in the sport. Nigerian boxers currently earn about ten times what they earned pre-2014, with the sweetener of between N1million and N2.5million given to the best boxer at the event. Their rankings by regional, continental and global boxing organizations have similarly taking a leap because they get regular opportunities to fight and build their fight records unlike before when they endured a two to four-year hiatus between fights. The future, from all indications, is pregnant with positive developments, which Nigerians and indeed Africans are on the lookout for.

  • MultiChoice vs. CPC

    NOT surprisingly, there have been diverse reactions to last Monday’s ruling by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja, restraining MultiChoice, Nigeria’s leading Pay TV provider and operator of DStv and GOtv services from implementing new tariffs on its bouquet of products. In July, MultiChoice Nigeria announced new monthly subscription rates for its bouquet of products to take effect on August 1. Incensed that the review was in breach of an agreement between it and the Pay TV operator not to increase tariffs until subsisting issues bordering on consumer complaints were resolved, the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) had dragged the company to court.

    With the ruling thus effectively barring the company from undertaking any tariff review until the final determination of the matter, many have charged the CPC of overreaching its regulatory powers, more so as the ruling touches on the right of the company to determine the appropriate tariff to charge for its products.

    We see the issue differently. It seems to us as more about the duty of an agency charged with the protection of consumer rights to initiate an action on behalf of aggrieved consumers. In other words, it conduces, ultimately, to the right of the PayTV subscriber to get value for every kobo’s worth.

    Of course, it would have been a different matter if the complaints were spurious or mere fabrications, or as it is being made out by some – albeit superficially – that the issue is simply about tariff. We are talking here of a company whose dominant position makes it effectively a monopoly in the Pay TV space, one whose decades-old stranglehold on the industry confers enormous advantages which even the closest competitors do not enjoy – but whose management of consumer issues falls miserably short of global standards.

    Again, it bears stating that the issues certainly did not pop up yesterday nor did it start at the court room, contrary to what is being bandied in the public space. They are essentially about the poor quality of services rendered by the Pay TV provider. These range from subscribers not receiving signals even after subscription has been paid; disconnection of services prior to end of billing cycle with no credit applied for paid time lost; lack of clarity in terms and conditions; non-activation of free to air channels except when a consumer complained, and confusing toll-free customer care telephone channels. They also include complaints about arbitrary charges; confusing billing; blocking of some channels already subscribed; poor picture or signal quality with excessive and un-compensated downtime during both inclement and clear weather conditions, and lack of responsiveness, among others.

    More fundamentally is that these complaints have been subject of investigations at various times – first by the CPC under the then Director-General, Dupe Atoki, in 2015; followed by a public hearing by the House of Representatives in 2016; and then the most recent – launched by the CPC in November 2017. According to CPC, the high point of the discussion and subsequent agreement is that no new tariffs be implemented until the issues, most of which it claimed the company acknowledged, were resolved.

    That appears to be the crux of the matter. By hiking the tariffs while the discussions are still on-going, CPC accuses MultiChoice of “blatant bad faith”. It is hard to imagine a serious consumer protection agency going to sleep over what it perceived as breaches of an agreement let alone on an issue that touches fundamentally at the core its mandate.The CPC, to that extent, can hardly be faulted.

    More fundamentally however is that the current structure of the Pay TV market comes nowhere near the ideal of a truly liberalised one. Most certainly, the time has come for the Federal Government to initiate policies to terminate the current lopsided structure under which a dominant player would be allowed to call the shots. A good way to start is to not just seek to understand the reasons behind the high mortality rates of local Pay TV companies, but to deal appropriately with them.

  • AMVCAs to air live on DStv, GOtv

    As preparations reach final stage for the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs), holding at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos, this Saturday, organisers have revealed that the event will be broadcast live on all Africa Magic channels on DStv and GOtv from 4pm West African Time (WAT).

    According to promoters, the awards show which made debut in 2013, promises to be bigger with top contenders from across the continent vying for honors in the voting and non-voting categories.

    According to Channel Director, Africa Magic, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu: “We are delighted to once again celebrate outstanding achievements in the African film and television industry on the platform of the AMVCAs. As always, we promise a night filled with exciting and stellar performances led by some Africa’s biggest names in the music industry. Our viewers at home will not miss a moment of the event, as they can tune in to all Africa Magic channels on Saturday, 1 September to see who wins the coveted AMVCA titles.”

    The awards will once again be co-hosted by South African media sweetheart, Minnie Dlamini-Jones, and Nigerian on-air-personality, IK Osakioduwa. For two years, the lovely duo has thrilled guests and viewers as hosts of the AMVCAs with their brilliant synergy, charm and infectious wit.

  • Multichoice to show 1,140 football league matches live

    Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, UEFA Champions League and other top flight football leagues is here again after the FIFA World Cup break.

    The English league will kick off on August 11, and others will follow suit.

    The General Manager Sales and Marketing, MultiChoice Nigeria,  Martin Mabutho, however provides answers to the questions on the minds of Nigerian football fans who are looking forward for the games in this interview.                                                                                                                                                       Excerpts.

     

    The new football season is here again, what should Nigerian fans expect from Multichoice?

    We are happy when we put smiles on our customers’ faces by bringing the best of World sports through our SuperSport channels. This year is no different as we present; The Premier League (PL), The UEFA Champions League (UCL), La Liga, Serie A, Super Cup and Super Spanish Cup.

    And of course we are proud and excited to be the sole broadcaster of the new UEFA Nations League. Think of the UEFA Champions League for Nations! The best European sides we saw at the World Cup are in it. This is going to be HOT! 

     

    Why doesn’t SuperSport have rights to the Community Shield and FA Cup this season?

    The elephant in the room…we were outbid for the Community Shield and FA Cup. Another provider offered a lot more than we did, and they got it. I am not sure why they did not show it though.

    However, we were able to bag the rights for Serie A. It’s the league that has the best footballer in the world; CR7. In hindsight, a whole season of Serie A against a once off game between two teams from the Premier League. Come to think of it, even the FA Cup is a subset of the same Premier League that we have all 380 games live off. I’d say it worked out ok in the end.

    Ronaldo’s move to Juventus was a pleasant coincidence, as we trust CR7 to make his mark on Italian football. It’s football drama that Serie A is sure to deliver.

    We all missed Italy at the World Cup. I am sure the lead up to Qatar 2022 will be lit with Serie A.

     

    What should we look forward to as the new football season kicks off this week? A lot!!! In High Definition

    –       All 380 Premier League games

    –       All 380 La Liga games

    –       All Serie A games

    –       All UEFA Champions League games…need I say MORE?

    Our priority is to deliver the best sporting content and reaffirm our commitment to delivering world class sporting action. To usher in the new football season this year, we will deliver an unmatched viewing experience as the Premier League kick offs on Friday, 10 August 2018 whilst the La Liga season will start on Saturday, 18 August 2018 followed by Serie A on Sunday, 19 August 2018. Customers can look forward to the best expert analysis from football legends, live performances, celebrity experiences, music and more.

     

    Last year was epic as you facilitated the parade of the English Premiership cup in Nigeria.  Are customers expecting the same treat?

     

    Yes it was indeed a great year for football, and the PL trophy tour was the proverbial icing on the cake.  All this we did with our customers in mind. We thought that with the English Premier League being the most anticipated league in the world, it was only fitting for the most ardent fans – our customers to experience results of their passion in a very palpable way by way of photo Ops with the trophy.

    However, I cannot confirm at the moment if the trophy will make a return this year, but let’s watch this space for perhaps more thrilling news in the next few months.

     

    What football action can GOtv subscribers look forward to?

    This is where again, we have amped up the value. GOtv now offers more Premier League games than any other DTT service provider in Africa. That’s an extra game of PL, all La Liga, all Serie A, and we brought down the cost of the lead bouquet from N3,800 to N3,200. Also GOtv Plus subscribers will have access to LIVE Matches. GOtv Value and Lite subscribers are not left out as they can enjoy matches on FTA channels. They will be spoilt for choice with big league titles such as The Premier League (PL), The UEFA Champions League (UCL), La Liga, Spanish Super Cup and Serie A.

     

    How many matches will be available to DStv and GOtv subscribers this season?

    SuperSport will showcase all 1,140 matches of the new football season: 380 Premier League matches, 380 Serie A matches and 380 La Liga games with most of the matches from each league broadcast LIVE and in HD on SuperSport.

     

    Is there a discount on Explora and other devices?

    You know us, we always run promos during this period, and as is the norm, we welcome the new football season with open arms by dishing out some great offers. The DStv HD decoder, which includes a dish kit plus one-month subscription on Compact package now goes for N11,900 from the normal N18,500. In addition, the GOtv decoder, which comes with the antenna and one-month on GOtv MAX is available for N6,900 rather than the normal rate of N7,900.

     

    What is your take on the hike in pricing of Pay Tv services in Nigeria

    I can’t respond to what others say, it’s not our culture to do so. I can only speak on behalf of and about DStv and GOtv. Having said that, we have brought down a lot of content including football and general entertainment, increasing the value for money to our customers, whilst also keeping an eye on our operational costs.

    Our Compact bouquet at N6,800, gives all the football matches…all the most revered leagues, even more than what is shown on TV abroad.

    We put our customers at the center of everything we do which includes offering the best content at unbeatable prices.

     

    What’s the deal with Iwobi?

    Alex, he is the latest addition to our family. We have been working on an awesome campaign that we will roll out soon. He is a gifted player and embodies the brand values of our Compact bouquet.

     

    You are a Man United supporter, we know…How market?

    Well we kick off on Friday with Leicester. We have made a few changes to the squad, so yeah let’s see how it goes. Pre-season outing was a disaster but that’s not always a reflection of what happens through the season.

  • GOtv unveils programmes line-up for July

    Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) service provider, GOtv Nigeria, has unveiled its line-up of programmes for July.

    All through the month, subscribers will enjoy some new and returning series, sports, including the ongoing 2018 FIFA World Cup, lifestyle and kiddies’ programmes.

    With the world Cup still in progress, GOtv will air the semi-final and final matches live on SuperSport Select 1 (channel 31) and SuperSport Select 4 (channel 34).

    Also, on Telemundo (channel 14), hit telenovela, Lord of the Skies, returns on 23 July at 10pm for a second season. The drama also continues every weekday on Blood and Wine at 4pm, The Boss at 8pm and Woman of Steel 3 at 9pm. On Zee World (channel 25), the new series, My Golden Home, will premiere Friday, July 13 at 6pm. The story is based on a sweet, family-orientated and loving young lady called Abha, one of the daughters of a well-known and respected man, Thakur Uday Pratap Singh. Through the tests and challenges of life, Abha always ensures that everything she does reflects positively on not only her, but also the reputation of her family.

    Returning this month on Nat Geo Wild (channel 51) with more teeth than ever is SharkFest. Nat Geo Wild’s supersized sixth annual SharkFest premieres Monday, July 16. This year’s SharkFest is the No. 1 destination for factual shark shows, with new behaviours caught on camera in premiere special, 700 Sharks (Tuesday July 17 at 5pm); expert insights on why the world’s most massive shark species congregate in one region called “shark central” off the coast of South Africa in Big Sharks Rule (Wednesday, July 18 at 5pm) and a breakdown of why sharks are the apex oceanic predator in Shark v Tuna (Monday 16 July at 5pm).

    With the holidays around the corner, the tweens and teens are not left out on the fun as Nickelodeon (channel 62) brings All Stars: Ordinary People Becoming ‘Super Heroes’. It airs on Saturday, July 28 and Sunday, July 29 at 11:55am.

     

  • Football: DStv, GOtv to broadcast Serie A matches live

    SuperSport is set to broadcast the 2018-19 season of Italian Serie A league, this NationSport can report.

    The two parties have signed an agreement to broadcast the league which starts on Sunday, 19th of August, 2018.

    Speaking after the signing, Gideon Khobane, SuperSport Chief Executive, said: “We’ve always prided ourselves on offering viewers the best football from around the world and the return of Serie A to our screens fulfills our promise of an unrivaled football offering.”

    Gaetano Miccichè, president of Serie A, was similarly enthused: “We are very happy with this agreement as it will allow the SuperSport audience to follow all 380 matches of our league. We are certain that the passionate supporters from Sub-Saharan Africa will appreciate all the stars from Serie A.”

    Founded in 1898, and contested by 20 teams, the league is regarded as one of the best football leagues in the world and it is often clouted as the most tactical national league. “MultiChoice Nigeria is excited to continue to bring customers the best international football. This is part of our ongoing commitment to bring more value to our customers.” says John Ugbe, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria.

    SuperSport will be the only place to watch all 380 Serie A matches. Games will be broadcast on both DStv and GOtv.

    The 2017/18 season was exciting and uncertain until the end, thanks to the epic duel between Juventus and Napoli and is a sign of great things to come. The fight for the remaining UEFA Champions League berth was just as enthralling, the challenge between Lazio and Inter Milan settled only in the final minute of the last day of the campaign with Inter Milan ultimately returning to the elite European club competition.

  • Toure, Okocha, Yorke for SuperSport World Cup broadcast on DStv, GOtv

    Some of football’s biggest names have been secured by SuperSport to underpin this year’s broadcast of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on DStv and GOtv.

    Yaya Touré, one of the most celebrated African players of the past decade, will be joined by straight-talking Jay-Jay Okocha, Dwight Yorke (one half of the deadly duo which spearheaded Manchester United’s charge to a historic treble in 1999) plus former Manchester United and Everton fullback Phil Neville and Italian maestro Gianfranco Zola, one of Chelsea’s greatest players.

    Other African guests doing SuperSport duty include Samson Siasia, Shaun Bartlett, Gavin Hunt, Andre Arendse and Benni McCarthy.

    The presenters will be made up of the experienced foursome of Robert Marawa, Carol Tshabalala, Neil Andrews and Andy Townsend.

    The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicks off on Thursday, June 14 with the opening ceremony at 2 pm and the first match between Russia and Saudi Arabia at 4 pm. DStv customers can catch the action live on SS3, SS13 and SS14, while GOtv customers on SS Select 1 and SS Select 4.

    With a 24-hour World Cup channel already on air, the broadcast offering has been supplemented with another 24-hour High Definition World Cup channel on DStv (SS3) that will run from June 1 until July 15 that will include pre-World Cup friendlies.

    There will be build-ups for all matches with top analysis and insights from some of the sharpest minds in the game, plus world-class graphics and technology to enhance coverage in the brand-new High Definition studio that launches in June. Post-match wraps will also feature, guaranteeing the most in-depth coverage.