AFC and StarTimes partnership involves the AFC’s major national team and club competitions for 2021.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has today announced StarTimes as their new media partner in Sub-Saharan Africa for 2021 to broadcast the AFC’s national team and club competitions including the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar Final Round (until December 31, 2021) as well as the Group Stages, Knock-out Stages and Finals of the AFC Champions League 2021 and the AFC Cup 2021 on a non-exclusive basis.

Since entering the African market in 2008, StarTimes became the fastest growing digital TV operator with services in more than 30 countries across the Continent. Today, StarTimes is one of the biggest pan-regional Pay TV operators in sub-Saharan Africa, servicing over 13 million Pay TV subscribers and 27 million streaming service users.

With the AFC national team and club competitions, StarTimes further expands their already impressive portfolio of rights, which includes the Bundesliga, UEFA Europa League, the FA Cup and the UEFA Euro 2020 among others.

Dato’ Windsor John, the AFC General Secretary, said: “The AFC is delighted with this new partnership which will bring the best of Asian football to the sub-Saharan African region, and we are thankful to the StarTimes for recognising the value of the AFC’s competitions.

“The agreement will not only increase the exposure of our world-class competitions and platforms beyond the Continent, but also enhance the stature of the AFC’s brand as we continue to expand our family of global partners.”

Philippe Zou, StarTimes Content Operation Center Director, said: “We are delighted to partner with the Asian Football Confederation to bring the AFC’s national team and club competitions to Africa. Football is by far the most popular sport in Africa and African fans expect to enjoy the best football events. I am sure they will be very excited to watch the AFC competitions.”

Patrick Murphy, Board Member and CEO at Football Marketing Asia (FMA), said: “We are very pleased to welcome StarTimes as our new media partner in sub-Saharan Africa. We are looking forward to working closely with StarTimes to strengthen the presence of Asian football in the region.”

About StarTimes

StarTimes is the leading digital TV operator in Africa, serving 13 million DVB subscribers and 27 million OTT users in 30+ countries. StarTimes owns a 700+ channels’ content platform combining African local channels (75%) and international channels (25%, including Chinese channels 1.5%). The company's vision is "To ensure that every African family can access, afford, watch and share the beauty of digital TV".

About the AFC

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of Asian football and one of the six Confederations making up FIFA. Established in 1954, the AFC is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and comprises 47 Member Associations. The AFC organises the AFC Asian Cup and the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, which are the flagship Continental national team competitions, while the AFC Champions League is the premier competition for Asian clubs, drawing millions of fans to the beautiful game across the length and breadth of the Continent and beyond.

 About Football Marketing Asia

Football Marketing Asia (FMA) is the exclusive commercial partner of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the rights cycles 2021-2024 and 2025-2028. FMA is headquartered in Hong Kong S.A.R., with offices in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and China PR. FMA combines unparalleled global football experience with in-depth Asian know-how and expertise.