Topstar, ZPL deal launched; A look at what this deal entails 

The Zambian Premier League and Topstar Communications Limited yesterday launched their five year broadcasting deal with the official signing of documents at a colourful event held at the Golden Peacock Hotel in Lusaka. 

The event was graced by Ministry of Information and Media Permanent Secretary Thabo Kawana, Ministry of Youth, Sport, and Art Permanent Secretary, Kangwa Chileshe, Chinese Embassy Counsellor, Mr Jin Jun, FAZ president, Keith Mweemba, ZNBC Director General, Berry Lwando, ZPL CEO, Joseph Chimpampwe,TopStar CEO, Jimmy Carter Luo, National Sports Council of Zambia CEO Sombwa Musunsa among many others. 

TopStar have come on board as the new broadcasting partners for the MTN Super League after the non renewal of the Supersport deal. 

SuperSport and FAZ enjoyed a long-standing relationship, which saw the live broadcast of the top tier League on the SuperSport platforms for 18 years since the first agreement was penned in 2007 ahead of the 2008 season.

Topstar started their broadcast in week two with Red Arrows hosting Mines United as the first game that was televised on their platforms. 

FAZ President, Keith Mweemba said this deal was a milestone and will go a long way in the vision of the Football Association to professionalize the Zambian Premier League. 

“This partnership is more than a sponsorship; it is a milestone in our vision to professionalise the Zambian Premier League and make it one of the most competitive on the continent,” he said. 

“For our clubs, this deal means more predictable resources to strengthen their teams and compete at the highest level. For our players, it offers greater visibility, opening doors for international opportunities and recognition. For our fans, it guarantees broader access to matches on multiple platforms, bringing the game closer to every household,” he added. 

ZPL CEO Joseph Chimpampwe hailed the deal as a “new era for football broadcasting in Zambia,” pointing to expanded fan access and new commercialization opportunities.

TopStar Co-Board Chairperson Jacqueline Chishimba reaffirmed the broadcaster’s commitment to local content, announcing that two channels have been dedicated to live coverage of all nine weekend matches and urging businesses to take advantage of affordable advertising opportunities.

Meanwhile the Minister of Information and Media, Cornelius Mweetwa in a speech read on his behalf by permanent secretary, Thabo Kawana, urged production houses engaged to broadcast the matches to take advantage of the incentives that have been provided by the Government to procure broadcast equipment at zero rated tax.

“This is a first in the broadcast industry in Zambia where all the matches for all the local leagues will be shown on one platform on different channels. It is even more gratifying to note that the intention by Topstar is to broadcast all the nine matches every weekend,” he said. 

“To achieve this feat, local production teams have been engaged to broadcast the matches. The new dawn administration seeks to empower local companies so that they contribute to national development through such initiatives. It is our sincere hope that the production houses that have been engaged to broadcast the matches can take advantage of the incentives that have been provided through the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts to procure broadcast equipment at zero rated tax.”

DETAILS OF THIS DEAL 

The deal is for five years worth USD 1 Million yearly. TopStar has also committed an additional  K960,000 for sponsorship of the ZPL Annual Awards.

The agreement covers the MTN Super League, with matches to be broadcast on the TopStar Mobile App, Sun Sport, ZNBC TV3, Sports Focus, and StarTimes.

But it also includes the Eden University Women’s Super League and the ZPL Men’s National League, the ZamFoot Crew understands. 

Topstar are in talks with a local television channel, MUZA TV about televising the ZPL Men’s National League and talks have reached an advanced stage, ZamFoot can exclusively reveal. 

Topstar is currently in discussions with several stakeholders in order to sort out the production cost for the Eden University Women’s Super League, the ZamFoot Crew understands. 

MORE GAMES 

Topstar are targeting televising five to nine games every weekend which has never happened before in Zambia. 

“We are actually targeting televising all the nine games every weekend,” a source at Topstar told the ZamFoot Crew. 

The idea is to give fans access to their favorite teams despite their location. This will be a move in the right direction. 

It will be easier for even statisticians, agents and scouts to follow the players and keep tabs on them. 

WE WANT QUALITY, AND QUALITY WE MUST HAVE 

After the first match televised there was a big cry on the quality of the production with many fans disappointed with the picture quality. 

Ministry of Information and Media Permanent Secretary Thabo Kawana even emphasized on the need for quality just before his speech at the event. 

“The people of Zambia want to watch their football with quality, not monga mutamba ma negatives. I am happy Sun Sports has assured us of quality. Not ati ukamisa goal, no replay awe,” he said. 

Topstar and the engaged local production companies have already started working on improving the quality with week three production showing great improvement. 

The hope and prayer for all the fans is that the quality will keep improving until such a time that it becomes of the best possible quality. 

With Topstar on board the hope is that all there will now be a lot of content on TV for the Zambian Premier League affiliated leagues and we can reach a point where we have several shows tailor made for the MTN Super League, Eden University Women’s Super League and the ZPL Men’s National League.