By Chinedum Ohanusi
With a view to giving the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) more visibility, the league body has embarked on a major commercial venture, by announcing a landmark five-year data management and commercialization agreement with Inview Technologies Nigeria Limited and AS Production Hub Limited.
The deal valued at ₦2 billion, includes a mandatory upfront payment of ₦800 million as activation fee — signaling one of the most ambitious financial commitments in the modern era of Nigerian domestic club football.
Under this arrangement, NPFL matches will now become accessible on free-to-air television as well as designated digital platforms — a move expected to dramatically inflate visibility of the top flight league, expand audience reach and deepen fan engagement across the country.
Speaking at the formal signing ceremony, Chairman of the NPFL Otunba Gbenga Elegbeleye said the league is deliberately shifting into an era of commercial innovation, content expansion and wider access.
“We want every Nigerian home — in villages, towns, and major cities — to easily watch the NPFL. Our focus now is to create consistent, quality content that will be available on as many platforms as possible,” Elegbeleye said.
He added that this partnership is only one piece of a bigger strategy, to take the league to more lofty heights.
“This agreement with Inview and AS Production Hub does not shut the door to other broadcasters. The league is being unbundled — which means more broadcasters are welcome to come in. More partners means more revenue, more coverage, and ultimately more development for our clubs and players.”
The President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, in his remarks applauded the NPFL leadership for staying focused, and growing the leagur, despite challenges.
“It may not seem as fast as Nigerians expect, but what NPFL is doing is foundational. With patience and consistent support, they will get it right in every dimension,” Gusau noted.
In a second major commercial engagement, the league also signed a separate strategic data partnership worth over ₦600 million with Round Up Technology, which includes an annual ₦140 million payment for technical data services covering players, match statistics, analytics and league performance parameters.
Representative of Inview Technologies
Rajiu Meka’at, highlighted the significance of the partnership in expanding access to NPFL matches nationwide.
According to him, the goal is to ensure that every Nigerian can enjoy league action from the comfort of their homes — at no cost.
“We are making the NPFL available on free-to-air television, which means millions of Nigerians — if not all — will be able to watch league matches without paying a dime. This is what we want for the people, and it is good for the game,” he asserted.
Also speaking, Disu Vera-Cruz of Roundup Technology emphasized the importance of data analytics in modern football development. He explained that detailed and accessible data would elevate the league’s value and enrich media coverage.
“Data is crucial to the growth of the game. With the right statistics, media houses can easily access information on players, coaches, and clubs — just like in top leagues across the world. Proper data will improve the league, increase the profile of our players, raise the value of coaches, and enhance the credibility of clubs,” Vera-Cruz added.
This marks the first time the NPFL will be receiving structured commercial income tied directly to data mining and data monetization — a practice already standard across Europe’s top leagues.
Dignitaries who witnessed the signing included the Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Charles Ebuebu; Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu; Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mallam Jibrin Baba Ndace, among other top government and industry figures.
With this new structure — television unbundling, direct data monetization, and open-door broadcast framework — the NPFL certainly looks set to step into its most commercially promising era yet.
