Optima Sports Management International (OSMI), the exclusive 2014 FIFA World Cup terrestrial broadcast rights owners for the Nigerian territory, has allayed the fear that some Nigerian radio and television stations will be barred from broadcasting the 2014 FIFA World Cup matches.
OSMI recently signed a transmission agreement with Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), the umbrella body of radio and television stations across the country. However, there was a palpable fear that stations that are not members of BON would be denied the opportunity of transmitting the matches.
Speaking at the second edition of the OSMI World Cup Broadcasters Workshop in Lagos, Mr. Kunle Falodun, Managing Director, OSMI, said due to the global buzz that the event has generated and in fulfillment of the key objective of his company which is to provide premium sports content to all Nigerians, every interested station would be allowed to beam the matches.
He said: “Few weeks ago, we signed an agreement with BON for the transmission of all the 64 matches of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Through BON’s network of radio and television stations, we plan to reach the nooks and crannies of Nigeria. Even for stations that are not members of BON, we will not deny them the signals. Our overriding objective is to provide opportunity for as many Nigerians as possible to be part of the World Cup experience. We want to reach as many homes as possible in Nigeria with the matches.”
However, Falodun, who expressed the readiness of OSMI to deliver an unforgettable World Cup experience to Nigerians, noted that any station who is interested in beaming the signals must be ready to abide by the rules as laid down by FIFA.
“The transmission of the World Cup comes with a lot of responsibility and obligations. It is well regulated by FIFA and any breach comes with heavy sanction. For instance, no station has the right to scroll any advertisement messages independent of those provided by the rights owner during match broadcast. There are also some strict rules which border on logo placement, FIFA advertisement slot, among others,” he added.
Earlier in his opening remarks, Mr. Segun Olaleye, Executive Secretary, BON, said the stations are excited at the opportunity of partnering with OSMI to deliver value to Nigerians through the transmission of the matches. He assured OSMI of the readiness of his organisation to abide by all agreed rules and conditions.
