Chairman of the League Management Company (LMC) Shehu Dikko has stated that the absence of required infrastructure for production has made it very expensive to show live broadcasts of NPFL matches on television.
Dikko, who said this in response to clamour by fans for NPFL matches to be seen on television from next season explained that it would cost as high as N15 million to broadcast a match live in the league due to the infrastructure deficits and high foreign exchange.
“To produce just one game in the NPFL will cost as much as N15 million for a standard coverage that will meet minimum standards. This cost is because of infrastructure challenges,” Dikko said.
“The objective is to produce all the NPFL matches for the live broadcast. If you want to do that, each one will cost about N15 million, which means that each Matchday will cost N150 million. Where is that money going to come from? So we have to put our thinking caps to get around this situation.
“We need to be patient to do the right thing. We need to put the right strategy in place, source the investment, implement systems to reduce the cost and ensure we do the best for Nigeria.”
Comparing the Nigerian situation to the European countries, Dikko said that television generates the biggest revenue for European leagues and that the stadia in Europe have been systematically developed to provide required Infrastructure for television broadcast, making it less expensive and easier for production of games.
“Television is money, without it there is no league anywhere in the world. When you go to Europe, they already have the infrastructure in the stadiums. Just walk in there, cover the matches and just send it out to distribute across media platforms that pay huge resources for the content. We don’t have much here. It is not our fault, it is not the fault of anybody, this should have been done a long time ago.
“Every stadium in Europe is plug and play. You as a cameraman would just go, cameras, OB van and transmission equipment are all there. Here, you have to truck an OB van from saying Lagos to the match venue with all the logistics requirements and security, you have to cable the whole stadium, provide standby electricity, 60, 70 people have to work to cable the stadium and cover the match.”
He, however, reiterated the desire of the LMC to ensure that the situation is changed saying “a huge level of work has been done in sourcing the right partners, investments and we have even gone ahead to propose legislation to promote and protect the football industry in order to drive its growth. We are hopeful that very soon television will be back and in a sustainable way.”
