PODCAST | How to grow soccer’s business in Africa

The economics of sports and entertainment in 2024 is the focus in this edition of Business Day Spotlight. Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Tony Simpson, partner and global head of sport at Oliver Wyman.

Specialising in strategy, operations, risk management and organisation transformation, Oliver Wyman is a management consulting firm with more than 6,000 professionals at offices across 30 countries. 

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According to Simpson, consumption patterns for sport in Africa are different compared to other parts of the world, particularly the West, where broadcast television is a mainstay. He highlights the proliferation of mobile devices and a large youth population as key drivers for a sector that now sees games being consumed mainly through social media and other mobile channels. 

This observation is underscored by MultiChoice’s recent decision to offer a mobile-only package for soccer on its recently rebranded Showmax streaming platform. 

Much of the discussion is spent talking about the state of soccer on the African continent. Simpson says soccer is by far the most watched and followed sport on the continent. However, governance issues around the sport hamper it from being the money spinner that it has become in Europe with leagues such as the English Premier League and Uefa. 

Topics of discussion include: value of sport to an economy; broadcast rights; growth of sports streaming; the place of soccer in global sport; and shortcomings of the African soccer industry. Simpson sees basketball as being as emerging sport in Africa that has the potential to grow rapidly. 

• Business Day Spotlight is a MultimediaLIVE Production.