The summer saw a minor communications battle between Startimes and CANAL+ over Spanish soccer rights.
On August 6, Startimes announced on its Facebook page that it had acquired the broadcasting rights for Spanish soccer league matches: LaLiga SANTANDER, until 2024. This information, which was reported in many African media outlets, could have led one to believe that CANAL+, which had held the rights until now, was now out of the running.
However, on August 16, CANAL+ announced in a press release that it had renewed the broadcasting rights for the Spanish La Liga Santander championship for its subscribers in sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, and Mauritius.
In Africa, as elsewhere in the world, sport is one of the main reasons for subscribing and remains the main driver of pay-TV development.
Startimes, which is positioning itself as CANAL+'s competitor in French-speaking Africa, will have to redouble its efforts to undermine, if possible, the extensive sports offering that CANAL+, which has five sports channels in Africa, provides to its subscribers.