The ousted Football Kenya Federation has suffered a fresh blow after StarTimes pulled out of a broadcasting deal to beam Kenyan Premier League matches live.
The seven-year deal worth Sh122.4 million ($1.1 million) a year signed on September 29, 2020, saw StarTimes granted exclusive TV and digital broadcast rights for the top-flight.
But in an ugly twist of events, the organization released a hard-hitting letter early Thursday calling off the deal.
The letter, signed by StarTime public relations manager, Alex Mwaura, said the drastic move had been triggered by gross contractual violations.
Read the letter in part: “The execution of the said agreement has been wanting, occasioned by different acts of commission or omission including but not limited to the following:
“Failure to deliver a number of scheduled broadcast fixtures. Despite prior confirmations, several fixtures including one Mashemeji derby in the 2020/21 season were not delivered.
StarTimes accused FKF of tinkering with the fixtures unilaterally albeit on short notice, thus causing unnecessary logistical inconveniences.
“We have had to work with an unstable fixture that has constantly changed, at times on short notice. This has led to lack of cohesion and promotion of wrong fixtures which ultimately translated to limited awareness of broadcasted matches.”
StarTimes expressed concern about FKF's image in the public eye, saying constant wrangles with key stakeholders portrayed the federation negatively and could be detrimental to the company's existence in the market.
“The persistent acrimony between the governing body and its key stakeholders among them media and top tier clubs have negatively affected the league’s brand affinity.”
“Being a subscription broadcaster who leverages on content popularity, the constant confrontation has led to limited uptake and viewership of the property as seen through monitored performance on our platform.”
On December 9, four KPL clubs (Ulinzi, Gor Mahia, Zoo Kericho, and Mathare United) refused to endorse the deal.
StarTimes further accused the federation of failing to honor deliverables spelled out in the contract.
