NTV, Kwese unveil World Cup advertising packages to clients

From left to right: Nation Media Group’s head of corporate and regulatory affairs Clifford Machoka (left), Kwese Free TV general manager Monica Ndung’u and NTV managing director Alex Kobia at the NTV-Kwese World Cup clients’ experience breakfast in Nairobi on May 22, 2018. PHOTO | KANYIRI WAHITO |

What you need to know:

  • Besides live games on NTV, Nation Media Group will offer an all-round, “360 degrees” news coverage of the Russia tournament on the group’s print, broadcast and digital platforms.
  • Nation Sports’ print lead, James Mwamba, will travel to Russia to drive the on location coverage of the tournament.

With just three weeks to the Fifa World Cup’s kick-off, free-to-air partners NTV and Kwese Free Sports have unveiled their advertising offerings for live matches of the tournament to be held in Russia.

The June 14 to July 15 bonanza will kick off with the match between hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.

NTV and Kwese Free Sports hosted an “advertisers’ experience” in Nairobi on Tuesday to announce the tournament’s viewing package and advertising opportunities while unveiling the marketing programme for the world’s most popular competition.

Nation Media Group’s NTV will broadcast 32 of the tournament’s key matches live from Russia in what will be the only free-to-air offering in Kenya.

The NMG-Kwese partnership grants NMG exclusive free-to-air broadcast rights of the tournament in Kenya together with Kwese Free Sports.

Nation FC players, from left: Allan Munga (captain), Eric Isinta, John Wahome, Ken Kusimba, Josiah Ochieng, John Ohuma and Linus Ombette pose with a replica of the Fifa World Cup at the NTV-Kwese breakfast meet on May 22, 2018. PHOTO | KANYIRI WAHITO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Advertisers mingled with staff from Kwese and NMG in the informal, World Cup-themed breakfast at the city’s Movenpick Hotel on Tuesday with master of ceremonies, Watson Karuma of NTV, kicking off the engagements aimed at taking advantage of advertising opportunities available on the Kwese and NTV platforms.

This was after a session of football free-styling, penalty kicks and target practice for the guests at the informal setting that worked well towards hyping up the World Cup spirit.

Karuma philanthropically dished out coveted official World Cup team jerseys to NMG and Kwese clients who answered, correctly, random questions on the World Cup.

Among those present at Tuesday’s client activation was NMG’s acting chief executive officer Stephen Gitagama and the group’s senior management along with sales and sports desk teams.

Players from NMG’s football wing, Nation FC, led by skipper Allan Munga, a business analyst at the group, and no-nonsense defenders Josiah Ochieng and John “Jontes” Ohuma, both sales executives, lit up the occasion with football banter.

They were accompanied by utility player Eric Isinta, a cameraman with NTV, and the midfield trio of Ken Kusimba, John Wahome and Linus Ombette who are attached to the imaging and editorial graphics departments.

Nation Media Group’s acting chief executive officer Stephen Gitagama (left) and the group’s broadcast division managing director Alex Kobia mimic a World Cup trophy award celebration during the NTV-Kwese World Cup clients’ experience breakfast in Nairobi on May 22, 2018. PHOTO | KANYIRI WAHITO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

“We are excited. Our advertisers must make sure they get onto this bandwagon as soon as possible, because the World Cup is about only 23 days away,” Monica Ndung’u, Kwese Free TV Kenya’s general manager said at the gathering.

The 32 live matches will be “Africa heavy”, meaning that fixtures of the five African nations at the finals — Nigeria, Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt — will be covered.

“We wanted to give our clients a chance to engage with the audiences,” NTV’s managing director Alex Kobia added.

“We are talking about reaching 10 million viewers, and our clients are interested in sending their messages to these people. This function gives them an opportunity to interact with our sales people and see what best solutions we can provide to the clients on our NTV platform to reach the viewers of the World Cup.”

NTV’s commercial head, Jimmy Nzivo, said there will be limited advertising slots available before, during and after each match. And with the enthusiastic response so far from advertisers, he urged those who haven’t come on board to seize the offerings as soon as possible.

From left to right: Kwese’s Monica Ndung’u along with Nation Media Group’s Alex Kobia, Watson Karuma and Elias Makori in a panel discussion at the breakfast event. PHOTO | KANYIRI WAHITO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

“NTV is available on all digital boxes in the market. There is a total of 5.5 million both pay TV and free to air boxes in the market, with NTV’s signal coverage for Kenya being 85.8 per cent,” Nzivo presented to the clients.

“Our TV offerings in the 32 live games include eight minutes of commercials per game with opportunities for branding, product placement and creative bugs.

“We have studio set-ups with exclusive, tailor-made World Cup content for pre, mid and post-match expert analysis.”

Besides the NTV offerings, NMG’s “360” advertising solution boasts attractive print and digital offerings before, during and after the tournament.

Meanwhile, NTV and Kwese have jointly organised a consumer launch with massive road shows, complete with give-aways, lined up for Nairobi, Coast region, Nyanza, Western, Rift Valley and the mountain region, among other prime locations.

Besides live games on NTV, Nation Media Group will offer an all-round, “360 degrees” news coverage of the Russia tournament on the group’s print, broadcast and digital platforms.

Nation Sports’ print lead, James Mwamba, will travel to Russia to drive the on location coverage of the tournament.