SportyTV announced its 2026 FIFA World Cup coverage as a momentous experience for sports broadcasting in Africa, noting the strong audience interaction on television, online and social media during the World Cup.
The broadcaster said in a recent announcement that its comprehensive World Cup broadcasts were driven by the growing demand for accessible, digital-first sports content, and that millions of people were tuning in to watch the event on their television sets, app, and online.
SportyTV had the rights to broadcast and stream on YouTube in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa before the tournament. This meant that viewers in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya could watch 34 matches for free and South African fans could watch all 104 matches for a very reasonable subscription fee.
SportyTV posted huge statistics on its official YouTube channel, with over 70 million views, 18 million watch hours and over 10 million unique views accumulated during the tournament. The long awaited England vs Argentina game was the most watched event on the channel, with close to 2 million viewers in Nigeria alone.
The broadcaster said, ahead of the end of the tournament, World Cup content has accrued over 920 million views across its digital platforms. TikTok also made a huge contribution, having received more than 320 million views, 17 million likes, and 400,000 new followers, while Facebook received more than 320 million views and nine million likes. Meanwhile, Instagram garnered almost 175 million views, and Facebook and Instagram combined reached more than 100 million accounts.
Also, SportyTV’s mobile app reached more than 10M downloads throughout the World Cup period, with over 15% of downloads happening during the World Cup.
SportyTV also achieved the status of Africa’s largest YouTube channel in terms of membership during this period, saying it did so through various live broadcasts, comprehensive analysis of the field, memes and highlights, behind-the-scenes looks at the action, cooperation with creators, and strong engagement on social media.
Elias Gallego (VP, Business Development, Marketing & Media, Sporty Group) said that Sporty’s goal was not just to broadcast matches. We wanted to develop a full experience that was engaging and connected with the tournament regardless of where fans were.
We are proud to be at the forefront of this evolution, as the strong momentum we’ve witnessed throughout the competition demonstrates a love of football throughout Africa and a greater need for a more accessible sports broadcasting model.
In addition, SportyTV highlighted its collaboration with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), and the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), and how such partnerships between traditional and digital broadcasters can help to make premium sporting events more accessible.
