Zug, Switzerland – Infront and the English Premier League have agreed a new partnership for free-to-air rights across sub-Saharan Africa for three years commencing with the 2019/20 season.
The project will be managed by Infront's recently created Africa division based in Paris, which will focus on distributing media rights across the continent. This specialised team has been strengthened by the appointment of Christophe Van Rothem, who has broad experience in selling media rights in Africa and who will be leading the sales efforts.
The rights to the Premier League cover over 40 sub-Saharan countries, including major territories such as South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya.
Stephan Herth, Infront Senior Vice President of Football said: "The Premier League is the most recognisable football league in the world with its influence resonating globally. The fact that every African Footballer of the Year since 2015 is currently playing in the Premier League highlights the appeal it has on the continent and we are looking forward to delivering exciting action to fans across the region."
Jean-François Jeanne, Infront France Managing Director said: "Infront has a history of delivering rights to sub-Saharan Africa following our success with the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and we believe that this new agreement can be the start of a long-term and trusted partnership with the Premier League. The establishment of our new Media Rights Africa division is a clear sign of our strategic goals on the continent."
Paul Molnar, Premier League Director of Broadcasting said: "We are very pleased to be working with Infront for the next three years. For fans in over 40 countries across the region, this agreement will allow one free-to-air match to be broadcast live every Saturday, as well as weekly preview, magazine and highlights programmes. These rights are important in ensuring the widest possible access to our competition for the many passionate Premier League fans across Africa.”
Infront is a leading sports marketing company managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events, including the distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production, event operation and digital solutions. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of around 1,000 staff working from 43 offices across more than 14 countries, delivering approximately 4,000 event days of top class sport around the world every year.