Veteran football administrator Ponga Liwewe has urged […]

Veteran football administrator Ponga Liwewe has urged the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) to consider acquiring the services of a streaming platform amidst the decline in TV revenue after multinational company Supersport left the Zambian football market. According to official records, FAZ’s income from TV rights and advertising dropped from K55.5 million (2024) to K35 million in 2025; revealingly, revenue from Supersport dropped from K24 million to K12 million.

Supersport has left the market, but the impact is adverse; although Topstar has come to the fore, they have failed to cement their ambitions or meet market demands, especially with the contractual fallout with FAZ, which is seemingly being resolved.

Speaking in an interview with the Zambian Business Times, Liwewe narrated why SuperSport left the market. “Startimes or Topstar are not as big as DSTV; they do not have much money. SuperSport Zambia was a bigger market, but years back we had a lot of Kenyan and Malawian players in the league, and this attracted an audience, but due to several factors, including business shortfalls, things have changed.”

Coupled with the rise of streaming, satellite television is slowly dwindling. Liwewe urged the FA to quickly devise strategies that can meet the modern market demands.

“The market has changed; if we look at satellite TV, it’s declining. People are more into streaming, so it’s a dying industry unless FAZ finds a streaming partner, because the financial strength indicates that it’s moving to streaming platforms,” he added.

He observed that streaming has become a fundamental initiative in the sports world, with most young sports globally utilizing it to reach wider audiences across the globe. Liwewe, who is a former Chief Executive Officer for ZESCO United, said the Zambian league needs publicity, citing that the previous strain of the relationship between Topstar and FAZ can be avoided if FAZ can seek alternatives, including streaming platforms.

The potential eradication of traditional satellite cuts across the globe, largely sports media pioneers like Sky Sports also affected by streaming platforms, is food for thought for the English Premier League and lessons for Zambian football.

Revenue from TV rights is important for the FAZ; it is the lifeblood for the survival of the domestic league and funds youth development, the latter being a major mandate for the FA.

Article by Samuel Phiri