Btv to broadcast netball games in HD
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday March 31, 2017 15:53
Btv acting general manager, Vusa Ziga said the station is going to broadcast 70 games with all nine games involving hosts, Botswana live.
He said for the first time, Btv will be broadcasting the games in High Definition (HD).
“We have received our new (broadcast) truck and we are about to undertake training of our staff on how to operate the equipment. We have agreed in principle with the LOC (Local Organising Committee) to train some of our staff who are not conversant with netball,” he said.
Ziga said they are going to run promotions for all the players in the national team. He said the plan is to profile the players from their home villages. He said the station is exploring live streaming, something that they have never done before.
He said the content that Btv produces would be given to International Netball Federation (INF) for distribution to international markets.
Launching the partnership, Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) chairperson, Solly Reikeletseng said hosting the competition is a first for the country and it is aligned with the BNSC Vision 2028.
He said the key indicator for BNSC is sport development.
He said the most critical thing is to promote the games until the competition starts. Reikeletseng said it is not netball that is hosting, but Botswana sport and the country in general.
“We are going to package this event in such as way that it reflects the country in a positive way. In the past we made a mistake by engaging international broadcast companies while we have the capacity of doing that. We spent a lot of money on international companies to package the games for us,” he said.
Reikeletseng said they are not going to contract any international company to bridge the gap. He said it was important to promote the games before, during and after the competition to promote viewership for the station.
Meanwhile, BNSC chief executive officer, Falcon Sedimo said sport and media have an intertwined relationship. He said the two cannot function without the other.
“This relationship is about moving from good to great. If we sink, we sink together. We should swim to safety together,” he said.
He said for games which Btv would not cover, local companies should be afforded the opportunity to package the games for the state broadcaster.