All Uganda radio stations have been instructed to halt the broadcasting of the English premier league matches except if they are licensed by Discovery Sports Limited (DSL)
Discovery Sports Limited says that it obtained the exclusive rights to air all English Premier League matches in Uganda on Frequency Modulation (FM)
DSL bought the rights to air the English Premier League(EPL) from Talksport, an international broadcaster that owns exclusive rights to air all the EPL matches over radio out of the United Kingdom, according to a sports lawyer, Timothy Kajja.
TalkSport was given the live radio broadcasting rights of the Premier League this year till 2025.
Timothy Kajja further revealed that DSL has the exclusive right in Uganda now, and all other radio stations who wish to air the match must get a sub-license from them.
“Any further live radio broadcasts of EPL games in Uganda, or use of the above-mentioned intellectual property without a sub-license from DSL, will constitute a violation of DSL’s broadcast and intellectual property rights by such Radio Stations,” he asserted.
He said that fees for sub-license for radio stations to air EPL games will be decided after negotiating the terms.
Kajja said, “we will advise after we complete because some stakeholders may want to make changes.
According to Kajja, Discovery Sports Limited has been offered exclusive rights to use the EPL logo, anthem, club names, and logos.
The development has been communicated to the Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) and The National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board.
The gaming and betting houses that exhibited club names and their logos and EPL logos must also stop till they have been licensed, the sports lawyer stated.
The popularity and viewing of the English Premier League in Uganda are so big and the credit goes to the radio stations who initiated airing it in the early 2000s through live commentary and the public picked the interest up to now.
