Private media group StarTimes had reportedly obtained the exclusive rights of distributing Chinese Super League games in Africa after recently reaching an agreement with the China Sports Media group.

Sports Pro Media confirmed that the pay-television broadcasting company had won the bid for the said "exclusive media rights" to show the Far East nation's first division domestic competitions "across sub-Saharan Africa".

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"We are delighted to have won the broadcast rights for the CSL," said Michael Dearham, StarTimes Media's acting CEO. "With this addition, our viewers can enjoy the best and most diverse football fixtures from across the globe."

"Football is religion in Africa. While Chinese Super League has excellent and amazing football players with strong presence of African stars," Dearham added.

The chief executive also assured that the broadcasting firm will not "take exclusive practices" and will provide "free to air" services for the African viewers.

The agreement is said to be covering a total of 240 CSL fixtures to be aired on all of the StarTimes Sport Channels using the English language to audiences from across the said region for a span of three years.

Meanwhile, China Sports Media president Zhao Jun was optimistic about the said partnership. She expressed confidence that the CSL will continue to grow in the continent as more and more African footballers are drawn in the China top flight moving forward, as reported by Capital FM Sports.

"I know CSL now has a new road in the future," she said.

As of the moment, some of the African stars playing in the league are Cameroon's Stéphane Mbia (Hebei China Fortune), Congo's Assani Lukimya (Liaoning Whowin), Ivory Coast's Jean Evrard Kouassi (Shanghai SIPG) and Gervinho (Hebei China Fortune), Gambia's Bubacarr Trawally (Yanbian Funde), Ghana's Asamoah Gyan (Shanghai SIPG), Mozambique's Zainadine Júnior (Tianjin Teda), Nigeria's Obafemi Martins (Shanghai Shenhua), Senegal's Demba Ba (Shanghai Shenhua) and Mbaye Diagne (Tianjin Teda), and Zambia's James Chamanga (Liaoning Whowin) and Jacob Mulenga (Shijiazhuang Ever Bright).

TagsChina Football, Chinese Super League, Chinese Super League news, StarTimes Media China, Africa, china