MultiChoice acquires exclusive rights to broadcast Ethiopian Premier League matches


MultiChoice Group (MCG) has announced that its subsidiary SuperSport has acquired exclusive rights to broadcast Ethiopian Premier League matches.

SuperSport adds Ethiopia to its portfolio of soccer properties, which includes the Zambian Premier League and the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in South Africa, reaffirming MCG’s commitment to investment in sport across Africa.

The Ethiopian Premier League is the top association football division in Ethiopia, and comprises 16 clubs. Broadcasts of the Ethiopia Premier League will be carried across the entire territory of sub-Saharan Africa and the adjacent islands, where the appetite for soccer is substantial.

MultiChoice Group CEO Calvo Mawela emphasised the significance of the sport for the Group and what the deal means for Ethiopian football: “Through SuperSport, we are the leading broadcaster of sport in Africa, with our programming being viewed by millions of fans continent-wide. Sport is an integral part of our content offering and supporting the development of sport content makes sense for our business.  This partnership will give the Ethiopian Premier League greater visibility, attracting fans from across the continent.”

Commenting on the agreement Ethiopian Premier League chairman, Lt. Fekade Mamo said "We recognise the importance of having the right partners on board to contribute in growing our league and to cultivate local talent. This is a significant step forward for the league, and will create a brighter future for players, the industry, and bring Ethiopian football closer to the world."

This  agreement is particularly exciting for MultiChoice and DStv Ethiopia, Director of  Multichoice Ethiopia, Omar Bagersh added, “this is an important milestone for Ethiopian football and will substantially impact the football landscape in the country and create multiple economic spin -offs around football in one of the largest countries on the African continent”

MultiChoice Ethiopia CEO, Gelila G.Michael said, "This is an exciting addition on DStv, particularly for our customers in Ethiopia. We are eager to mobilize for this exciting task ahead and are underway to making every effort so that sports fans have easy access to our products and a seamless experience across the country."

SuperSport will produce the broadcasts, alongside the empowerment of local production staff. SuperSport’s holistic approach to developing local leagues has seen those leagues grow from strength to strength and the Ethiopian Premier League will no doubt benefit from having a partner of the stature and expertise of SuperSport as it looks to the future.

This announcement is the latest in a series of exciting developments which mark MCG’s investment in Ethiopia. Through DStv Ethiopia and the investment in local content such as the Ethiopian Premier League, Amharic language channels such as Zee Alem, Nick Jnr Amharic  and local free-to-air channels, MultiChoice is developing a strong value proposition to deliver world -class, locally relevant content to audiences across Ethiopia.


“This is an important agreement for MCG, one which affirms our commitment to investing in Ethiopia and across Africa. We will continue to demonstrate our commitment to Ethiopia through the development of local skills and industries, and through exciting plans for content that speak to Ethiopians in their own voice. By continuing to invest in local markets across Africa we intend to create lasting value for local industries; and opportunities for local content creators; distribution of content in local languages and promotion of local talent,” added Mawela.


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