This archive report was first published on 11 July 2019.
Published on July 11, 2019, a study by GumGum Sports and Muso revealed that Kenya is among the top five countries enjoying free streaming of English Premier League (EPL) matches, denying soccer clubs billions of shillings in revenue.
The study, commissioned by an undisclosed elite EPL club, found that China, Vietnam, Kenya, India, and Nigeria were the top countries enjoying the content for free, benefiting advertisers but not the clubs.
According to Muso co-founder and CEO Andy Chatterley, piracy audiences have been disregarded as offering no real value to rights holders and distributors, but the reality is that these huge audiences still see the same shirt sponsors and commercials as people watching the game via a licensed channel.
Chatterley stated that sports rights owners now understand that uncaptured audiences help drive value for advertised products, and they are embarking on a study to establish the value of uncaptured piracy audiences globally.
The EPL is a major driver of the multi-billion-shilling betting industry in Kenya, which raked in Sh204 billion in revenues last year, with a paltry Sh4 billion paid as taxes to the Kenya Revenue Authority.
Additionally, telcos benefit from fees earned from paybill transactions conducted by betters placing bets via mobile payment platforms.
The study by GumGum and Muso found that 7.1 million viewers enjoyed illegal streaming of eight matches spanning the 2018-19 season, with the majority of value coming from field-side LED and kit sponsorship placements.
