ZTV clinches English Premier League deal

ZBC and Delta Beverages, who are at loggerheads over local Premier Soccer League television rights, united yesterday to launch a package for English  football matches to be screened live by the national broadcaster.

The erstwhile belligerents joined hands at a sports club in the capital officiated by Patricia Murambinda, the Delta Beverages' marketing manager, and Elliot Kasu, general manager (finance and administration) at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation. Murambinda said the move formed part of Castle Lager's drive to support sporting events throughout the continent.

"The premier beer brand has been a firm supporter of soccer for over 30 years with the sponsorship of events such as the Cosafa Senior Challenge, the Castle Kagame Cup and the South African Super Diski," Murambinda enthused.

"Castle Lager is sponsoring the broadcast of the Barclays Engish Premier League League games on local terrestial channels in 48 countries around Africa," she added.

Kasu, who incidentally is the Zifa board member (finance), admitted the main concern of viewers was the absence of local football on both ZTV and radio since the season began.

"The return of English football on our screens is a response to our viewers who have been crying for quality programming. Football indeed has a big following and this was a business decision taken by both parties (ZBC and Delta). But we still feel there is room for us to sit down again involving a third party, the PSL, so that we all get to understand each other.

"It is our hope as ZBC that we will be able to offer viewers with both sets of matches on our screens. My call is for that tripartite meeting to be held soon," said Kasu, whose superior at Zifa, Cuthbert Dube, is also the ZBC board chairman.

The schedule kicked off in earnest yesterday with the Chelsea-Norwich encounter screened live.

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