In recent years, New World TV has made a name for itself by acquiring prestigious sports rights such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations. To begin with, could you remind us of the key milestones in New World TV's development?
Since its creation in 2015 in Lomé (Togo), New World TV has established itself as a major player in the African audiovisual landscape. The group now publishes 17 thematic channels broadcast live via satellite, IPTV, and OTT (mobile app and web platform). These channels cover a wide range of content: sports, continuous news, entertainment, culture, series, cinema, music, education, and youth. NWTV's satellite package, which includes more than 60 channels, is now available in all French-speaking sub-Saharan African countries, either through our satellite offerings, as in Togo and Mali where we have our own distribution, or through partnerships with telecom, DTT, or IPTV operators with whom we have distribution agreements.
NWTV is also a rights agency for free-to-air African channels.
In addition to distributing its pay-TV channels, NWTV plays a key role as an audiovisual rights agency for the free-to-air broadcast of major sporting events in sub-Saharan Africa. This role aims to ensure that as many people as possible have access to premium events, particularly those with limited means.
NWTV holds the rights to all UEFA club and national team competitions in French-speaking Africa until the end of the 2026/2027 season, as well as those to the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup (in the USA, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19, 2026) and the 2027 Women's World Cup (in Brazil from June 24 to July 25, 2027) on an exclusive basis throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
NWTV also acts as the CAF's exclusive agency for broadcasting competitions involving African national teams (2023-2025 cycle). NWTV is currently preparing for multilingual broadcasting and free-to-air distribution of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Women Cup of Nations 2024 (in Morocco from July 5 to 26, 2025), the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship 2024 (in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda from August 2 to 30, 2025), and the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025 (in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026).
These commitments reinforce CAF's renewed confidence in NWTV, a true driving force behind African audiovisual production and distribution, by and for Africans.
Beyond sports broadcasts, do you have any locally produced programs or shows?
We produce many soccer-related programs, such as EXTRA TIME, which airs every Sunday evening and summarizes the weekend's sports results. We also broadcast CHAMPIONS WORLD and EUROPA WORLD every Champions League and Europa League evening, hosted by David Astorga, formerly of TF1, accompanied by big names in soccer such as Basile Boli, Emmanuel Adebayor, Patrick Mboma, and many others.
We can also mention Solange Droual Mawuena and Salah-Eddine Gakou, who have recently joined the team of journalists and are also very active on social media.
In addition, NWTV is committed to promoting African cultures and actively develops local content tailored to the specific characteristics of each country. This translates into channels featuring specific national programs, programs in local languages on a variety of topics, including culture, sports, news, and entertainment, and the production and broadcast of series in local languages, promoting an inclusive and community-based approach.
This strategy highlights local talent and meets the diverse expectations of African audiences.
Technology is evolving rapidly. How is New World TV addressing the challenges of digital and streaming, and what measures are you taking to combat piracy?
NWTV is fully committed to the digital transformation of the audiovisual sector, with major investments in:
- An OTT platform accessible via mobile and web, offering on-demand streaming,
- A partnership with a large number of telecom and IPTV operators
- Multilingual broadcasting including local languages, strengthening viewers' identification with the content.
As you know, combating piracy is extremely difficult. We are working with public authorities wherever possible. Our philosophy of offering high-quality products at prices that are accessible to as many people as possible is another effective way of combating piracy, where reception quality is not optimal.
The merger between CANAL and Multichoice will make this group a giant in Africa with significant resources at its disposal. How do you see this increased competition?
NWTV prefers not to comment on its competitors' strategies. The group remains faithful to its pan-African positioning, focusing on closer cultural ties with audiences, technological flexibility adapted to local realities, promoting the continent's talent, and above all, greater accessibility to premium content for all Africans, regardless of their means.