Pay-TV company StarTimes Media has secured rights to air the FIFA World Cup to be held in Russia next year.This means Startimes will have a fighting chance against MultiChoice’s SuperSport which has for years exclusively aired the tournament.In the deal, StarTimes will broadcast all 64 matches, which are taking place between June 16 and July 15 next year in Russia, across all 14 African countries it has operations except in South Africa.South Africa-based SuperSport has also received the rights.“We are delighted to secure the broadcast rights to the 2018 World Cup, a tournament that every soccer fan across the globe looks forward to every four years,” said Mark Lisboa, StarTimes’ vice president, in a statement.StarTimes and SuperSport are among four African broadcasters who received approval from world football governing body FIFA to air the World Cup as well as six of its other global tournaments.

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