Ariya Networks has secured the rights to broadcast the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Nigeria, marking a major milestone for the newly launched broadcasting and streaming platform as it enters the African sports media space.
The announcement was made at a press conference held on Thursday, December 18, 2025, where the Chief Executive Officer of Ariya Networks, Dr Idris Olagoke Badmus, said the AFCON broadcast aligns with the company’s vision of building a global, African-owned media platform.
Badmus disclosed that Ariya Networks was officially launched globally earlier this month in New York City, noting that the platform is a registered broadcasting corporation licensed to operate worldwide.
“Our holding company, Amni Corporation, has been operating in the United States for the past 11 years. Ariya Networks was created to fill a long-standing gap in global media representation for people of African descent,” he said.
According to him, despite accounting for over 1.6 billion people globally, Black communities remain underrepresented and often misrepresented in international media narratives.
“We are 1.6 billion Black people in the world, yet the world treats us like a minority,” Badmus said. “There are only six major global news organisations, and Ariya Networks is the sixth. The difference is that we are not here to follow the same political template handed down to us. That is not our news.”
He explained that unlike many global platforms that focus predominantly on politics, Ariya Networks prioritises social economy, culture, innovation and inter-African collaboration.
“Seventy per cent of our content focuses on what Africans are doing for themselves, what Kenya is producing that Nigeria can buy, what Tanzania can export to Dallas, and what Jamaicans are creating that Haitians can replicate. This is about connecting Black people globally and telling our own stories,” he said.
Badmus criticised mainstream international coverage of Africa, noting that global media often pay attention to the continent only during times of crisis.
“CNN has one correspondent covering the entire continent, and they only go where there is disaster. If there is no disaster, there is no Africa. We want to change that narrative by reporting our successes, talents and innovations,” he added.
Against this backdrop, he said AFCON provided a strategic opportunity for Ariya Networks to introduce its mission to a broader African audience. He announced that the tournament, which kicks off on December 21, will be broadcast live on two Ariya Sports channels, with on-demand streaming available for viewers who miss matches or wish to rewatch highlights and analyses.
“From December 21, we will broadcast all matches live on two of our channels. Beyond that, viewers can stream matches afterward, replay goals and access in-depth analysis,” he said.
Badmus described Ariya Networks as a hybrid platform combining live television and on-demand streaming, currently offering six live TV channels and more than 300 content titles.
“We are a combination of Netflix, Amazon Prime and live broadcasting. That is what makes us unique,” he said.
He also outlined the company’s long-term commitment to developing African sports beyond football, announcing plans to launch the Ariya Boxing Classic in June 2026. The tournament will feature boxers from eight West African countries and is designed to produce world champions within five years.
“We are not talking about European leagues; we are talking about African leagues,” Badmus said. “The difference between African and European sports is not talent but direction and intention. The talent is there in Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone. What we lack is investment and platforms.”
He argued that Africa’s heavy consumption of European and American sports content has contributed to the underdevelopment of local leagues.
“If we spend half the energy we use watching European football on our own sports, we will develop ourselves,” he said.
On pricing, Ariya Networks announced a three-tier subscription model for Nigerian viewers—Free, Basic and Premium—described as affordable and accessible.
The platform is available on smart TVs and mobile devices, including Android and Apple platforms, and can be downloaded from major app stores. Badmus explained that the AFCON broadcast licence covers 32 markets in Nigeria, a limitation he attributed to channel capacity rather than content restrictions, assuring viewers they would not miss key matches.
He further disclosed that Ariya Networks has recorded about 400,000 downloads within its first few weeks of launch, even before major promotional campaigns.
“This is not just about subscriptions,” Badmus said. “It is about communication in Africa. It is about finally telling our own stories, in our own voice, on our own platform.”
