Nana Yaw Amponsah questions FA’s TV rights revenue distribution

Chief Executive Officer of Asante Kotoko, Nana Yaw Amponsah has expressed his disagreement with the decision for all 18 clubs in the Ghana Premier League to receive the same share of the revenue generated from TV rights.

Hearts of Oak and Kotoko are expected to receive the same amount of money ($30,000) as the other 16 clubs in the top-flight, in accordance with a collective sale agreement regarding the deal involving the Ghana Football Association and Chinese pay TV outfit, StarTimes.

Speaking during his presentation for the African Sports Centre’s (ASC) Ghana Premier League Webinar with the Johan Cruyff Institute, Amponsah said: “I feel that there needs to be a proper collaboration between the clubs and the right holders [StarTimes] because for me as Asante Kotoko, if all StarTimes gives me is $30,000 for the year, whether 100,00, 1 million, 2 million Kotoko fans watch [a game] on the day or not, – that’s all I get – I am not going to go out of my way to push fans who are not coming to the stadium to watch StarTimes. I don’t see how that benefits me.”

“However, if there is a mechanism to share proceeds where I know that if every match day, I am getting 200,00 people or 500,000 people to watch StarTimes and that is going to translate into revenue for the club, then I will take it upon myself to educate my fans, to push my fans to go and watch, so that StarTimes gets revenue, and I get revenue.”

ASC recently came out with a report on the Ghana Premier League which stated that comparatively less people are willing to subscribe to pay Tv to watch the top-flight in 2021 against last year.

Addressing that findings, the Kotoko CEO added: “StarTimes and the FA need to have a relook at the model. For instance, we [Kotoko] are doing the virtual CEEK challenge, and we understand that they only allow only 25% into the stadium. We’ve looked at it, the 75% is going waste. Okay, just take a seat and donate something, and it’s fetching us some revenue.”

“So, the right holders need to engage the clubs, especially Hearts and Kotoko, with the numbers, and ensure that there is some kind of arrangement that makes us want to push our fans to watch and subscribe to their channels.

“Otherwise, they’re not going to make the return on investment they require. Because, I don’t see why TV money is to be shared, it’s a controversial topic but the TV Rights money cannot be shared the same across board.”

Beginning last year, the Ghana Football Association penned a $5.25 million deal with StarTimes for a five-year, which sees the Chinese company receiving the television rights for the Premier League.