'Shocked' GBC blasts Ghana FA for awarding Premier League rights deal to StarTimes

The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) wants the Ghana Premier League broadcast rights which have been awarded to Star Times to be reviewed after the state broadcaster claimed they presented a healthy financial bid.

On Wednesday, the Ghana Football Association announced the Chinese Pay-TV channel as rights holders for the Premier League and FA Cup matches worth US$ 5,250,000

But GBC released a statement on Thursday expressing how shock they were that their bid was overlooked even though they have the requisite technical capacity.

"The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation put in a bid which we are certain was superior to what the StarTimes is said to have submitted. As published on the GFA website, StarTimes offered to pay US$ 5,250,000 which comes up to US$ 1,050,000 annually whilst GBC made a financial offer of US$ 1,100,000 annually," the release said.

"It is for this and other reasons that we received the news with disappointment and shock.

"Apart from GBC's superior financial offer, we thought that the Premier League and FA Cup content would have been treated like a national treasure and given to the national broadcaster and a consortium of local broadcasters.

"GBC wishes to put it on public record that the national broadcaster and the local TV Consortium have been treated unfairly and unjustly.

''The GFA decision will gravely impact on Ghanaians' access to the Ghana Premier League and FA Cup live games on Free-to-Air (FTA) broadcast.

"Apart from GBC's superior financial offer, we thought that the Premier League and FA Cup content would have been treated like a national treasure and given to the national broadcaster and a consortium of local broadcasters.

"GBC wishes to put it on public record that the national broadcaster and the local TV Consortium have been treated unfairly and unjustly. The GFA decision will gravely impact on Ghanaians' access to the Ghana Premier League and FA Cup live games on Free-to-Air (FTA) broadcast."