The Football Association of Zambia – FAZ and Yatu Media have signed a five year K61 million (about US$5million) deal that will see matches involving under-17 and 20 matches streamed live.
Speaking during the launch of the partnership on August 13, 2019 at Football house in Lusaka, FAZ General Secretary Adrian Kashala said the deal is a direct response to the cries of the fans to watch as many games as possible involving national teams live.
In a statement made available to the Zambian Business Time – ZBT, Kashala said fans were always querying FAZ about the broadcast of matches each time any of the national teams was in action.
“This development is particularly great as it directly responds to one of the constant cries of the Zambian football fans. Each time we have an international game, we are always flooded with queries about whether fans can access live broadcasts of matches involving various national teams or not,” Kashala said.
He added that the house is mindful of the many limitations regarding broadcast rights for various competitions under Cosafa, CAF and FIFA, and is determined to open as much space as possible for the followers of the game.
Kashala further thanked Yatu Media for taking the challenge to support football. “The initiative we are launching today with Yatu Media testifies how open we are to bringing as many partners on board as possible. While we are starting with the Under-17 and Under-20 games, we remain open to expanding this initiative to other teams and activities,” he said.
And Yatu Media Chief Executive Officer Charles Nkandu said the deal which will run from 2020 to 2025 would see high tech equipment used to broadcast the matches live online. Nkandu said Yatu Media would partner with Skyrink Studios of South Africa in meeting the Zambian market’s needs.
He also said the initiative would also create employment opportunities for Zambians. Nkandu further added that users would find the application user friendly and easy to download. The Yatu application will provide various options of paying for access making it easier for fans to watch their preferred matches.
Nkandu further said Zambia had six million smart phone users who will provide a huge platform for the streaming of matches. Yatu Media is targeting to beam 20 matches every year.
