The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced a media rights partnership with Sky Network Television Limited (Sky) in New Zealand. The deal will be running for two-year, 2021-22, and Sky will have the rights to broadcast, AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar, the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022, and AFC Champions League, in which Asia’s top forty clubs will be featuring.
Speaking on the occasion, Dato’ Windsor John, the AFC General Secretary, said: “The AFC is pleased to welcome Sky Network Television Limited to the AFC’s ever-growing family of valued media and broadcast partners, which once again underlines the appeal and stature of the AFC’s world-class competitions.
“We thank Sky Network Television Limited for their belief in the future of Asian football and the AFC remains committed towards expanding the reach of our competitions not only in Asia but all across the globe.”
Adding to it, Adam Crothers, Head of Sport Partnerships, Sky New Zealand, said: “Sky New Zealand is very excited to confirm the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar™, the AFC Champions League™ and the AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ for our extensive football roster.
“As we head toward the world’s two largest tournaments, the FIFA World Cup events for men (2022) and women (2023), which will both be broadcast by Sky in Aotearoa, these AFC competitions are essential viewing for the true football fan. We’re delighted Kiwis will be able to catch all the action on their Sky Box and streaming wherever they are on Sky Sport Now.”
Lastly, Patrick Murphy, Board Member, and CEO at Football Marketing Asia, added: “We are thrilled to have Sky Network Television Limited join our global family of valued AFC media partners. We are confident that Sky will deliver an exceptional football entertainment experience to fans across New Zealand, and we are looking forward to working with Sky’s teams to further drive the popularity of and engagement with AFC football in the country.”
The AFC Asian Qualifiers are currently going on as the nation’s fight to book their place in the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. From group A, Iran is leading the table and in group B, Saudi Arabia is holding the top spot. While many matches are still left to decide who will be qualifying for the next stage and New Zealand audiences can also enjoy those matches until March 2022.
The AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2022 will be the 20th edition of the quadrennial international football tournament in Asia. This time India will be hosting the tournament, with the matches starting from January 20, it ends on February 6. This will also be the final stage of Qualification for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.