Undervalued does not mean unpopular
African sport contains a recurring commercial paradox.
Many competitions generate strong local passion, significant cultural relevance and substantial digital conversation.
Yet their media rights remain modest compared with equivalent properties in more mature sports markets.
The easy conclusion is that African rights are inexpensive because the audiences cannot monetise.
That explanation is incomplete.
Rights value does not depend on audience passion alone.
It depends on production quality, scheduling, audience measurement, distribution, exclusivity, language, commercial governance, data availability and the buyer’s ability to monetise the inventory.
If those systems are weak, a popular competition can still become an undervalued rights property.
The existing market already points to considerable value
Statista Market Insights estimates African soccer-media revenue at approximately $3.17 billion in 2024 and projects it rising to around $3.72 billion in 2029. Media represents by far the largest component of the dataset’s defined African soccer market.
CAF’s recent audience performance provides another indication of the potential at the premium end of the market.
CAF reported more than 3.2 billion cumulative television audiences and approximately 6 billion digital views for AFCON Morocco 2025. It has subsequently described strong audience growth in its interclub competitions, including a 35% increase in Sub-Saharan television audiences.
Those figures do not mean every African league automatically deserves premium rights fees.
They demonstrate that African football demand is not inherently small.
The valuation discount often starts with production
A buyer cannot monetise a match that does not exist as a reliable media product.
That remains one of the structural constraints in parts of African sport.
Some competitions produce only selected fixtures.
Camera standards can vary.
Connectivity can fail.
Metadata may be inconsistent.
Archives may be incomplete.
The commercial inventory is therefore reduced before the rights negotiation even starts.
This is why new production economics matter so much.
Remote production, automated cameras, cloud workflows and software-driven broadcasting make it increasingly possible to produce a greater percentage of a competition at lower marginal cost.
If a league moves from producing 20% of its fixtures to nearly 100%, the value creation is not linear.
It creates more live hours.
More highlights.
More player content.
A better archive.
More sponsor inventory.
More international distribution opportunities.
Production is therefore an asset-development investment.
Better packaging can unlock more value
A competition may also have one rights package when it should have six.
Domestic pay-TV.
Free-to-air.
Digital.
Highlights.
Diaspora.
Local-language distribution.
CAF’s recent tenders increasingly separate language, platform and territorial packages.
That is instructive for the wider African market.
The audience is fragmented.
The rights architecture should recognise that fragmentation.
One buyer may maximise cash revenue.
Another may maximise reach.
A telco may contribute subscriber acquisition and distribution.
A free broadcaster may build national relevance.
A digital platform may provide fan data.
The goal should be to maximise the total value of the ecosystem rather than simply the headline licence fee.
Distribution competition is increasing
Traditional broadcasters remain important.
But the buyer universe is widening.
Telcos, streaming services, social platforms, FAST channels, connected-TV platforms and direct-to-consumer operators are all potential parts of the future rights stack.
Canal+ securing UEFA men’s club rights across more than 40 Sub-Saharan African markets for 2027–2031 demonstrates that sports rights remain strategically valuable to scaled media groups.
At the same time, CAF continues placing considerable emphasis on free-to-air reach.
The market is moving towards mixed distribution rather than a single dominant route.
Measurement remains the fundamental price-discovery problem
Rights cannot be properly valued without an understanding of the audience.
African sport still lacks consistent cross-platform measurement.
A competition may generate viewing across free television, pay-TV, mobile streaming, social media, bars, fan zones and communal environments.
Only part of that consumption may appear in the commercial negotiation.
That produces what can be described as a measurement discount.
Better audience intelligence would help sellers and buyers.
Rights holders could demonstrate value.
Broadcasters could price subscriptions and advertising more accurately.
Sponsors could connect exposure to meaningful audience segments.
Investors could forecast cash flows with greater confidence.
The sports-intelligence opportunity and the media-rights opportunity are therefore closely connected.
The biggest upside may sit below the premium tier
The most obvious rights attract the most attention.
The greatest value-creation opportunity may sit one layer lower.
Domestic leagues.
Women’s competitions.
Youth football.
School sport.
Basketball.
Rugby.
Athletics.
Combat sport.
Regional competitions.
These assets can have committed audiences while lacking the production and commercial infrastructure required to monetise them properly.
That creates room for strategic operators willing to build the asset rather than simply acquire a licence.
Think like an asset builder
A financial buyer asks whether a right is cheap.
A strategic investor asks whether the right can become more valuable.
Can every match be produced?
Can the competition improve its scheduling?
Can the fanbase become measurable?
Can more languages be offered?
Can sponsorship become digital?
Can the archive create value?
Can the competition create content throughout the week rather than only on matchday?
That is where the real opportunity sits.
SIA perspective: African sports rights are most attractive where there is a visible gap between cultural value and monetised value—and where operational improvement can close it.
Published by the Sports Intelligence Africa editorial team.