The Football Association of Malawi and the Malawi Digital Broadcasting Network (MDBNL) on Thursday signed an MOU to set the ball rolling on finalising the establishment of a dedicated local Football Pay TV Channel.
The channel, which will be carried on Kiliye Kiliye decoder on channel 122, will go live once FAM finalise technical procedures with content producers.
FAM Vice President Jabbar Alide said at the signing ceremony in Blantyre that the channel will go a long way in guaranteeing local football sustainable revenue.
He added that putting matches on TV consistently will help build the local football brand while helping government fight COVID-19 by encouraging people to stay home.
“The advantage of having this Pay TV Channel cannot be overemphasized as it guarantees sustainable revenues for our super league teams who have struggled financially for a very long time.
“It provides a platform for exposure of our talents and brings Malawian football into the homes of Malawians across the country. It provides escalated value of our sponsors as they expose their brands further beyond the stadium walls and it’s source of employment to many youths who will be involved in production of content, sell of decoders, marketing and customer support services.
“Above all in these times of COVID – 19 Pandemic the Football Pay TV Channel is a perfect way of ensuring our fans stay at home whilst enjoying the beautiful game,” he said.
Alide thanked Malawi Government through the Ministries of Youth and Sports and Information for supporting the initiative and has since urged Malawians to buy the Kiliye Kiliye decoders to support the project.
Chief Executive Officer for MDBNL Denis Chirwa said his network is ready to switch on the channel once FAM and its content producers provide them with the signal.
“We are here to provide technical expertise to the initiative and as MDBNL, we are ready to roll out and once FAM gives us the signal, we will start.
“The Pay TV Channel will be number 122 and we have capacity of up to 2 live games at a go. As a company, we will make sure that we show the right content as given to us by the producers and we will make sure that the viewers get what they deserve,” said Chirwa.
Details of the subscription procedures will be announced later.
