The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has reportedly appointed Media Experts Limited (MEL) and Media Business Solutions (UK) Ltd (MBS) as exclusive free-to-air rights holders for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) PAMOJA 2027 and a wider portfolio of CAF competitions across sub-Saharan Africa. The agencies aim to establish a network of national and regional broadcasters with potential reach exceeding 500 million households across at least 40 countries. The appointment was reported by PUNCH on 25 October and subsequently covered by other African media outlets.
The reported agreement covers AFCON 2027, scheduled for 19 June to 17 July across co-hosts Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. It also includes the 2026 Futsal Africa Cup of Nations and Africa Beach Soccer Cup of Nations, alongside the 2027 Africa Under-17 and Under-20 Cups of Nations. The rights follow CAF’s August invitation to tender for free-to-air and pay-TV coverage across the sub-Saharan region.
The agencies are expected to assemble distribution arrangements with national and regional broadcasters. The reported coverage includes the three host nations, as well as major markets such as Nigeria and South Africa, with Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Angola and Ethiopia also identified among the intended territories. However, individual broadcast partners have not yet been named, leaving national broadcasters and commercial free-to-air operators waiting for details of their potential participation and the terms on which they may acquire coverage.
For African broadcasters, the free-to-air component is critical to the tournament’s reach. While pay-TV services provide subscription-based distribution, free-to-air television can make live matches accessible to audiences without paid television packages. A network spanning dozens of markets could also create advertising and sponsorship opportunities for participating broadcasters, although the commercial value will depend on sublicensing costs, rights conditions and audience delivery.
The reported appointment complements the separately announced pay-TV rights arrangements for the same cycle. Together, the distribution models are intended to serve different audience segments, but the practical balance between them will become clearer once the national partners, language arrangements and permitted coverage are confirmed. The agencies’ projected reach of more than 500 million households should be understood as a potential distribution footprint, not a verified audience figure.
There is an important confirmation caveat. While several outlets have reported the appointment, CAF’s publicly available announcement located for this report confirms the tender process rather than independently detailing the final MEL–MBS award. The appointment and its precise contractual scope therefore remain subject to formal confirmation from CAF.
The reporting also requires careful attribution of the agencies’ statements. The remark describing the agreement as “a proud day for MBS” belongs to Richard Dimosi Diasolwa of Media Business Solutions, rather than Kunle Falodun of Media Experts Limited. Falodun separately highlighted free-to-air television’s role in bringing African audiences together around major football events.
For the broadcasting industry, the next milestone is the announcement of national distribution partners. Those appointments will determine which channels carry the competitions in each market, how widely viewers can access the matches and what commercial opportunities will be available to local broadcasters.
