By Victor Kanayo
Many African viewers, mostly Nigerians, are already expressing displeasure over Wednesday’s announcement by Multichoice that its subsidiary DSTV, will not broadcast the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations AFCON scheduled for Cote d’ivoire.
The disclosure which came as a shock to most DSTV subscribers, came only 10 days to the most prestigious continental soccer fiesta.
Unwanted Statement
The multimedia company in a statement said the reason for the announcement was that SuperSport TV failed to secure the broadcasting rights.
Part of the statement reads: “SuperSport Channel will not broadcast the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 scheduled for January 13th – February 11th, 2-24, because the channel has not secured the rights to broadcast the tournament.
“However, AFCON 2023 games will be available through our partner broadcast stations on Free to Air (FTA) channels.
“Multichoice Africa remains committed to ensuring football fans across Africa continue to enjoy unrivaled access to entertainment and football games available on DStv and GOtv platforms including, the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Zambian Super League, and many more of football’s most prestigious competitions.”
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Pre-Tournament Ritual
The 34th edition of the CAF AFCON will get underway on 13 January and end on February 11, 2024, as 24 nations eye the biggest prize in African football.
Already, all the participating teams have kick-started close camping in parts of Africa and beyond in preparation for the 34th edition of the tournament.
However, the latest development has now left millions across Africa scrambling for alternative ways to watch Africa’s biggest footballing event.
Fans’ Rage
Reacting via social media platforms, football fans poured out their displeasure.
One of them simply wrote via X platform, “I’m quite disappointed with Multichoice and whatever their offers are.
“I was preparing to renew my monthly subscription before AFCON kicks off. But with this announcement, I won’t go ahead.”
