Football club owner seeks TV licence

Wazito owner Ricardo Badoer. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The investor’s Badoer Investment Limited, which owns local Wazito Football Club, has been streaming the club’s games live on the MGTV Channel.
  • The firm also streams Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) tournaments and the SportPesa Shield semi-finals matches after the firm acquired broadcast rights earlier in the year.

Dubai-based investor Ricardo Badoer is seeking a commercial free to air television licence for the sports and entertainment channel Madgoat TV (MGTV) which is currently available online and planning to branch out to the competitive local mainstream media.

The investor’s Badoer Investment Limited, which owns local Wazito Football Club, has been streaming the club’s games live on the MGTV Channel.

The firm also streams Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) tournaments and the SportPesa Shield semi-finals matches after the firm acquired broadcast rights earlier in the year.

At the beginning of the year the firm signed a five-year deal worth Sh100 million with KBF that gives it broadcasts rights on the online and the expected free air TV channel.

If granted the licence, the MGTV will join the over 80 free to air television channels currently available locally.

“The licences, if granted, will enable the applicants to operate and provide the services as indicated above (commercial Free to Air television). The grant of these licences may affect public and local authorities, companies, persons or bodies of persons within the country,” said Communication’s Authority, Director General, Francis Wangusi in a gazette notice.

“The authority wishes to notify the general public that any legal or natural person or any legal or natural person, or group of individuals, who are desirous of making any representation and/or any objection to the said applications, to do so via a letter.”

The Dubai-based businessman has over the years been scouting for investment opportunities and has since acquired a stake in Sumac Microfinance and Hakika Microfinance in Tanzania. In July last year Badoer Investment firm pumped Sh100 million, taking up a 15.6 percent stake in the SME lender and announced that he would inject more money in future.