SuperSports Lauds Anazodo, Amokachi

SuperSport, the leading sport broadcaster and content provider on the African continent has passed a vote of confidence on the duo of Charles Anazodo and Daniel Amokachi for the high-level presentation and analytical skills put into the coverage of the Italian Serie A on the DStv bouquet.
The commendation came from Gary Rathbone, the channel’s operations director for sub-Saharan Africa and Felix Awogu, GM for the company in Nigeria.
According to Gary Rathbone, when the channel decided last year to set up a state-of-the-art studio in Nigeria to promote soccer development and bring the channel closer to soccer lovers, it was considered key to localize the presentation team because of the country’s reputation as a hub for soccer development.
A few months down the line, Rathbone said that Charles Anazodo, a popular TV personality and Daniel Amokachi, ex-international football star, have surpassed the channels expectations with their analytical skills and unique presentation styles backed with deep insight of Italian football.
“I particularly like their combination and the local flair they bring into the studio, plus the feedback from our subscribers has been very positive. It is for this reason that we decided last year not to engage any other presenter or analyst and that position still stands,” he said.
“We have no intentions of increasing the core presentation team of the Italian Serie A at this stage because we believe it will dilute the presentation style.”
He denied newspapers reports that the channel is set to employ the services of another presenter/analyst in the country. “I am not aware of any such plans and I don’t think there is any because if there is, I should know.”
Awogu informed that the company is set to consolidate on its investment initiatives in the country. “Since we built our studio and brought in outside broadcasting vans (OB Vans) for live and comprehensive coverage of our local league, we have noticed a renewed interest and believe in the Nigerian local league.”
“We are determined to make the Nigerian league one of the most popular on the continent and this vision is not misplaced because Nigerian footballers have continued to hold their own in Europe and anywhere they find themselves.”
“Our strength in SuperSport lies in our ability to acquire the best contents in the world and assemble the right crop of professionals to deliver the message with the flair that is unmatched anywhere else on the continent,” he stated.
It would be recalled that in August 2008, SuperSport announced that it had secured the rights for the live coverage of major league matches from the popular Italian Serie A and followed the announcement with a promise to use local presenters for the show.
Last month, the company again launched a dedicated SuperSports channel for Nigeria known as SS3Ni on channel 204 of DStv. Available only to premium subscribers of the DStv bouquet, the channel features major soccer matches from the Nigerian Premier League, the Italia Serie A, English Premier League, English FA Cup and the Nigerian Premier League.