MTN Uganda, Sanyuka TV Launch Campaign for Next Big Soccer Commentator

MTN Uganda, the official broadcast partner of the StarTimes Uganda Premier league (SUPL) has launched a new challenge that seeks to identify one local fan with talent for soccer commentary.

The lucky person will get a one-year contract to do commentary for the SUPL season 2020-21.

The campaign that is a partnership with the leading Sports broadcasting TV station Sanyuka TV is seeking to identify an all-round sports commentator who can do side pitch analysis, interviews, game analysis and commentary.

Dubbed “Samba Ne MTN” the campaign started with a soccer quiz and is now seeking for a talented commentator under the ‘Samba ne MTN – Tabira Owangule subtheme’.

The lucky winner will walk away with a one-year contract from Sanyuka TV to do commentary on the SUPL 202-21 soccer season, alongside other goodies from the telecom giant such as a cash and monthly data, among others.

“MTN Uganda is passionate about Ugandan sports. There is so much talent in this country that we seek to tap into, but the talent isn’t just limited to playing. There are several other aspects of sports. And that is why we are extending our support to finding the right people to commentate about the game. That’s all part of our drive to re-kindle the love for the game that Ugandans once had,” said Somdev Sen, Chief Marketing Officer MTN Uganda.

Recruitment of participants was done on social media. Interested persons were required to submit a two-minute video of them doing commentary of Ugandan football and share for nomination.

The contestant will be evaluated by a panel of 3 judges in the one-month challenge. If a contestant gets 2 “YES’” from the judges, he qualifies to join the next stage of the contest. The 1-hour contest will have 3 segments.

Side pitch – the contestant will be tested on the ability to do side pitch analysis.

Studio analysis – with a senior match host in studio, the contestant will be tested on the ability to analyse before the game, during game break and after the match (Running orders to guide)

Commentary – this will be done once to test the ability of the contestant to do commentary during a live game.

Next Media Head of Strategy Joe Kigozi said that even if the league is currently off because of COVID-19, it is important to keep the fans engaged for when the season kicks off.

The challenge will be broadcast on Sanyuka TV on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday every week from 4 pm – 5 pm starting on Wednesday, August 5, for the next 4 weeks. Soccer fans can also follow updates on the challenge via the social media pages of MTN Uganda @MTNUG and Sanyuka.