CAN 2012: Ghana yet to secure TV rights as holders demand €1.4m fee

Ghana is yet to secure television rights to broadcast the 2012 Nations Cup to be co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

News publication, KickOff, reports December 20, 2011 that television broadcasters are sweating over the rights for the tournament with no final deal yet as the footballing event starts January 21, 2012.

According to the report, French firm SportFive who are the right holders are demanding about “€1.4-million for the competition, an amount no single broadcaster in Ghana is willing to pay.”

However the publication understands that broadcasters are still negotiating for a reasonable fee.

Earlier this week, the BBC also reported that football fans in Botswana will be denied the chance to watch their country’s maiden appearance at next month’s Africa Cup of Nations due to the government’s decision not to buy broadcasting rights from the same SportFive at a fee of $1.98 million, an amount officials described as “unreasonable”.

By Ekow Quandzie