Mibawa Television has been allowed to produce Airtel Top 8 content for Zuku Television as High Court Judge Dingiswayo Madise has varied the injunction obtained by Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) last week.
The whole battle started when Football Association of Malawi (FAM) awarded Zuku Television football rights with Mibawa TV as its content producer.
The decision did not go well with MBC which, through its Director General George Kasakula, accused FAM of playing double standards, claiming MBC was told by the country’s soccer governing body that the public broadcaster was successful in the bidding process.
The claims were turned down by FAM who had already signed the deal and Mibawa TV was expected to start working last week when Silver Strikers hosted TN Stars at Chitowe Stadium before proceeding to Lilongwe for the second game involving Civil Service United and Karonga United at Silver Stadium.
But just hours before the first match, MBC through its legal representative David Kanyenda, obtained a restriction order to stop Mibawa TV and Zuku TV from beaming the match.
This meant Mibawa TV was restricted from producing the content and was ordered to vacate the Stadium.
And today, FAM through its lawyers has managed to convince the sitting Judge to at least allow the two stations to beam the weekend matches at Chitowe Stadium involving Moyale Barracks and Mighty Wanderers and Sunday’s game between Mafco FC and Nyasa Big Bullets.
“It is this day adjudged that the order of injunction dated November 13, 2021 be and is hereby varied to allow Mibawa Television to be the Pay TV Host/Content Producer through Zuku TV in respect only of the remaining Airtel Top-8 games pending further directions that counsel for the claimant shall draw up the formal order abridging the time lines for taking out the hearing inter-parte process under the order of this Court dated November 13, 2021. Such application to be filed and served not later than November 19, 2021 and to be heard on Thursday November 25, 2021,” reads part of the order date November 18, 2021.
It’s something a new thing in malawi whilst there are worst countries in the world who beam local games which are not of any competitive