Inside Africa's Sports Media Landscape: Pay TV, OTT Growth & AFCON Rights Challenges
21 July 2026
This clip is taken from the panel discussion "Inside Africa's Sports Media Landscape: Pay TV Dominance, OTT Growth and AFCON Rights Challenges" from the 2024 ASU Connex Summit in London, in partnership with Charles Russell Speechlys & AfroSport Group.
This conversation maps over 25 years of change in African sports broadcasting, from the dominance of pay TV to the rise of OTT and streaming, and the recurring challenges around AFCON rights negotiations. The panel unpacks how new entrants are reshaping the market, why free-to-air television still matters for reach, and what is missing before African sports rights can realise their full commercial value.
What this conversation covers:
- •How Africa's sports media market shifted from one dominant pay TV player to a wider field of competitors
- •Why OTT and streaming platforms are becoming central to sports consumption across the continent
- •Why a pan-African media strategy still needs free-to-air television for reach and mass audiences
- •The missing piece of audience measurement and media infrastructure needed to grow rights value
- •How major broadcasters such as the BBC evaluate African sports rights, weighing audience interest, cost and distribution
- •The commercial and operational challenges behind late AFCON rights deals, and who ends up footing the bill
Speakers:
- •Andy Howes, Co-Founder, AfroSport
- •Philip Bernie, Head of Content, BBC Sport
- •Richard Davies, Commercial Partner, Charles Russell Speechlys
Key takeaways
- How pay TV came to dominate African sports broadcasting and what it means for audience reach
- The rise of OTT platforms and what this shift means for rights holders and broadcasters
- The specific challenges and opportunities in negotiating AFCON media rights
- Where the African sports media landscape is heading over the next decade
