The world of African soccer has been rocked by a dispute between the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and New World TV Group.
This dispute, which concerns broadcasting rights for major competitions, raises important questions about the future of sports media coverage in Africa.
It all began with the agreement signed between CAF and the Togolese group New World TV, which in 2023 acquired the free-to-air and pay-TV broadcasting rights for all African Football Confederation (CAF) competitions for a period of three years.
Under this contract, New World TV has the rights to broadcast CAF competitions (including the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which will take place in Morocco) for the period 2023 to 2025, covering 46 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
This agreement, presented as a turning point in the broadcasting of African soccer, aimed to offer broader and higher-quality coverage of sporting events on the continent.
New World TV had committed to paying $32.5 million for the broadcast of the competitions on pay TV and $38 million for free-to-air television. However, to date, it has only paid $36 million, and the remaining $34 million is subject to a payment delay denounced by CAF.
"We missed deadlines and requested an extension until December 12, but the CAF is opposed to this," said Louis Biyao, NWT's legal advisor, to Jeune Afrique, which revealed this conflict.
Behind this disagreement lie colossal financial stakes. The CAF, which relies heavily on broadcasting rights to finance its activities, sees this as a risk to the stability of its revenues.
Television rights are a vital source of revenue not only for CAF, but also for local federations. Any interruption or reduction in financial flows could directly affect clubs, players, and football development initiatives across the continent.
This dispute could also have significant consequences for African soccer fans. If New World TV fails to meet its obligations, millions of viewers risk losing access to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations matches, which will kick off in exactly one year's time, on December 21, 2025.
The outcome of this dispute remains uncertain. CAF, determined to protect its interests, may be forced to seek new partners to broadcast its competitions. For its part, New World TV, which recently secured the support of AFREXIMBANK, could enter into negotiations to renegotiate the terms of the agreement or request additional time to fulfill its obligations.
This situation, which is not unique to Africa, illustrates the main difficulty faced by all rights holders: how to stimulate competition by attracting new commercial partners while ensuring that financial commitments will be honored by these new entrants who claim to be ready to invest significant sums but who, when they start out, have no income and always underestimate the time and money needed to recruit millions of subscribers.