A major feat in live coverage of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) matches was accomplished on the final matchday of the 2023/24 season by Propel Sports Africa, which streamed nine of the ten games via its NPFL_Live app.
This achievement has garnered applause from stakeholders, marking a historic moment as such extensive coverage had never been achieved on any platform in Nigeria’s league history.
Basil Kabbani, Chairman of Propel Sports Africa, explained that the company chose the final day to push for total coverage to ensure that millions of soccer-loving Nigerians could watch their beloved teams perform and witness the season’s climax.
“With the most sophisticated Artificial Intelligence (AI) cameras employed, we aimed to make Nigeria one of the world leaders in sports broadcasting. Propel salutes the wisdom and courage of NPFL Chairman, Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye, the NPFL board, GTI, and the President of the NFF, Ibrahim Gusau, for championing this fabulous initiative,” Kabbani remarked.
He assured the clubs and fans that Propel Sports Africa would invest more in infrastructure to ensure seamless streaming of more matches in the new season.
“We look forward to the 24/25 season and beyond for further growth and success as we seek to invest in more sophisticated infrastructure to offer viewers an improved broadcast on the OTT platform,” he continued.
Kabbani described the just-ended 2023/24 NPFL season as a learning curve that turned into a huge success.
“It is the first time in Africa, if not globally, that AI cameras have been deployed to this magnitude, covering over 300 matches in a season. We are proud of our Nigerian crew who learned and operated the facilities within a very short period.”
He mentioned that the company’s investment includes deploying ten AI cameras in Nigeria, hiring and training over 80 technicians and commentators, and investing in local telecommunications and Starlinks for broadcast streaming uploads.
