NTA/HotSports sign Alibaba, other comedians for AFCON live broadcast

Viewers of the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations starting in Egypt on June 21 will be given a fresh dimension to live broadcast of the events by popular comedian, Alibaba, who alongside other top artistes, will team up with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and HotSports Media Group to present a blend of football and comedy during the competition.

HotSports is the official marketing agency of AFCON 2019 with the right to broadcast all the 52 matches on the terrestrial channels of the NTA. It has added spice to the offering by enlisting the participation of comedy legend, Atunyota Akpobome (well known as Alibaba) and a corps of A-list comedians in the live telecast of the event in Nigeria.

Receiving Alibaba at the headquarters of HS Media Group in Lagos at the weekend, the Group’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Taye Ige said the marriage of football and comedy would give fans and broadcast sponsors a very pleasurable and rewarding tournament.

“We want to achieve a significant milestone in football broadcasting by bringing sports and entertainment together in the terrestrial live studios of AFCON 2019. We want to produce a memorable event that will remain in the minds of football loving Nigerians for many years to come,” Ige assured.

Alibaba, who is undoubtedly number one in the Nigerian comedy space, said he is glad to be part of the AFCON 2019 live studios innovation as he strongly believes that the combination of sports and comedy have the strong potential to attract Nigerian fans to their first love – football.

“Football and comedy will provide a unique platform to project a tournament as big as the African Nations Cup where millions of Nigerian football fans will stay glued to their screens in support of their darling Super Eagles in Egypt,” Alibaba said.

The Super Eagles, who will feature at Egypt 2019 in Group B, will open their campaign to win the title for the fourth time on June 22 against Burundi. Other teams in the group are Guinea and Madagascar.

Other tournaments in the bouquet of the NTA/HotSports marketing partnership include the U23 Africa Cup of Nations (the 2020 Olympics soccer qualifiers that will be hosted by Egypt in November, this year), Africa Women Cup of Nations (Congo Brazzaville 2020), U20 Africa Cup of Nations in 2021 in Mauritania, the U17 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco also in 2021 and CAF SuperCup 2020.