Kwesé Sports, the pan-African sports TV company owned by Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa, "secured exclusive African broadcast rights" for the NBA. The NBA confirmed that it has a "new multi-year deal with Econet Media" to show live games and other NBA programs on Econet's pay-TV, Internet and mobile platforms in sub-Saharan Africa beginning in the current season. In a report, the AP said that the move "would see the NBA end its relationship with South Africa-based satellite TV broadcaster SuperSport." The NBA "did not disclose financial details" or say "exactly how long" the Econet agreement will last (DAILY NATION, 2/20).
EE is to develop a fleet of "helikite" drones over the next three years to "fill in wireless coverage holes when its 4G network goes down or needs more capacity." The mobile operator, which is owned by BT, has been developing the drones to cover "rural areas," where it has been "difficult to build traditional mobile network infrastructure." It expects to launch its first drone this year to coincide with a festival or a sporting event that "draws thousands of fans to a remote location that overloads the local network" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 2/21).
Eleven Sports announced the launch of cable and IPTV channels in Taiwan. The new channels, Eleven and Eleven Sports, are set to be launched in early March and will reach more than 3 million homes across the country on cable, IPTV and Taiwanese distribution platforms CNS, TBC and TOP. The channels will run alongside the network's OTT streaming service (Eleven Sports).
Accedo revealed that it is "behind the Watch AFL video streaming service that Fox Sports launched in early February." The service brings Australian football as an OTT service to a worldwide audience across mobile iOS and Android devices, as well as Chromecast and AirPlay on Apple TV. It is available in every market outside of Australia, and gives access to "live games, on-demand catch-up content and AFL entertainment shows" (BROADBAND TV NEWS, 2/21).
Altice Group's SFR Sport 2 acquired the rights to FIBA Europe Cup matches. Starting on Wednesday, the French pay-TV channel will broadcast "several games" from the latter stages of the season. All FIBA Europe Cup matches are also available for free through YouTube streaming (MEDIA SPORTIF, 2/20).