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FAM for consolidated broadcasting rights

 

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) wants broadcasting rights for all local and national team matches consolidated to improve revenue base for the association and Super League clubs.

FAM president Walter Nyamilandu said in an interview by consolidating all the rights, more revenue can be realised from broadcasting partners.

Super League teams stand to benefit from the arrangement
Super League teams stand to benefit from the arrangement

Nyamilandu said: “It has proved that football can’t survive on sponsorship and revenue from gate takings alone. Our demands are huge yet there is tremendous potential from local TV viewers.

“As the governing body of football in the country, we will champion ways and means of tapping revenue from TV on behalf of all stakeholders in a transparent and accountable manner.

“We are exploring this avenue to ensure that we get the best value from football. This will enhance our bargaining power with potential broadcasting partners as we offer an attractive package to them.”

The FAM president was optimistic that Super League clubs, who have been complaining of getting little from rights, would at last get their dues.

“Once the deal has been brokered, it will be an added advantage to clubs because of the new revenue stream that will be realised. I have no doubt that any substantial improvement in revenue will be warmly received,” said Nyamilandu.

However, the challenge is still on the quality of the product which has been a major setback to Malawi’s hopes to convince SuperSport to beam local games.

But Nyamilandu was of the view that Malawi football is a product that if polished, can rake in extra revenue.

“The numbers that attend matches speak volumes. Football is the number one sport and Malawians are passionate about the game. There is a broadcasting revolution in Malawi and the broadcasting industry is booming,” he said.

Super League of Malawi (Sulom) president Innocent Bottoman, who is also FAM executive committee member, said consolidating broadcasting rights was the way to go.

“It is a welcome development. It’s all about making sure our clubs are benefiting from the broadcast rights and, in turn, our players also get something from their sweat.

“And as the [FAM] president has put it, TV is one of the areas that we have not fully exploited in Malawi football. With the coming in of FAM to help us out, we are assured that we will get the best out of it.

“And the good thing is that I am also in FAM executive committee which makes things much easier than before. We will work closely for the benefit of our clubs,” Bottoman said.

Super League games last season realised K317 million in gate collections.

FAM on the other had got K89 million from Standard Bank Knock Out Cup and Carlsberg Cup matches gate collections and K211 million from national team TV rights.

Meanwhile, Super League champions Big Bullets, who command ahuge following and already petitioned Sulom on their games’ rights, have said they will wait until they are told finer details of the arrangement.

“Let’s wait and see how it will be done first,” Bullets vice-general secretary Kelvin Moyo said. n

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