Introduction
The Football Association of Malawi (FAM) in collaboration with the Super League of Malawi (SULOM) established Mpira TV, a subscription-based TV channel as a key driver of football commercialisation. In the 2021 season, FAM and SULOM used the Airtel Top 8 as a launchpad for optimization of Mpira TV broadcasting rights.
Revenue Streams
The gross revenue generated amounted to MK26.3 million. The table below highlights the performance of each revenue centres within the 7-week period of Airtel Top competition.
| Source of Revenue | Amount (MK) | % Contribution |
| Radio broadcasting rights | 6,500,000.00 | 24.7% |
| Airtel Value – adding rights package | 12,000,000.00 | 45.7% |
| Mpira TV feed | 1,500,000.00 | 5.7% |
| Mpira TV advertising | 700,000.00 | 2.7% |
| Mpira TV subscription | 5,568,670.00 | 21.2% |
| Gross revenue | 26,268,670.00 | 100% |
Mpira Pay TV Subscription
Total of 2, 595 subscribers were registered within the 5 of the 7-week period of Airtel Top 8. The figures could have been higher if it were not for some challenges that the project faced at its very initial take off stage. This performance aligns with our initial growth projection of 10,000 subscribers within a year with potential monthly revenue of K25 million and K300 million annually.
Revenue Distribution to Teams
After taking out production and administration costs for our technical partners (host content producer and host broadcaster) on average the teams will receive 80% while FAM and SULOM 10% each. The total amount available for distribution to the teams is K14.5 million which translates to each team receiving K657,353.30 per match as detailed below.
| Team | Matches played | Amount |
| Nyasa Big Bullets | 4 | 2,629,413 |
| Silver Strikers | 4 | 2,629,413 |
| CIVO Sporting | 3 | 1,972,060 |
| Mighty Wanderers | 3 | 1,972,060 |
| TN Stars | 2 | 1,314,707 |
| Karonga United | 2 | 1,314,707 |
| Moyale Barracks | 2 | 1,314,707 |
| MAFCO FC | 2 | 1,314,707 |
| 14,461,773 |
Conclusion
As can be noted from the above performance the Mpira pay TV project has huge potential to turn around the fortunes of our football industry in Malawi and therefore deserves support from all key stakeholders.
