The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) has accused the Ghana Football Association (GFA) of deliberate preferential treatment in a bidding process that led to the FA awarding television broadcast rights over the Ghana Premier League to Chinese broadcaster, StarTimes.
According to the State broadcaster, it presented a better deal than StarTimes but its bid was deliberately overlooked by the FA.
“The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation put in a bid which we are certain was superior to what the StarTimes is said to have submitted. As published on the GFA website, StarTimes offered to pay US$ 5,250,000 which comes up to US$ 1,050,000 annually whilst GBC made a financial offer of US$ 1,100,000 annually… It is for this and other reasons that we received the news with disappointment and shock,” the GBC statement said.
On Wednesday, he GFA announced that imes had won the rights to broadcast the Ghana Premier League and the FA Cup in a 5 year deal worth $5,250,000.00. the Chinese broadcaster would make an annual capital outlay of to $1,050,000. but as the GBC reveals, it was willing to pay US$1,100,000, but was overlooked.
“Apart from GBC’s superior financial offer, we thought that the Premier League and FA Cup content would have been treated like a national treasure and given to the national broadcaster and a consortium of local broadcasters.
“GBC wishes to put it on public record that the national broadcaster and the local TV Consortium have been treated unfairly and unjustly.
”The GFA decision will gravely impact on Ghanaians’ access to the Ghana Premier League and FA Cup live games on Free-to-Air (FTA) broadcast.