The Economist reports:
As in Somalia, so it is across the rest of Africa. Every week, far from England's freezing winter drizzle, tens of millions of Africans settle down in video shacks, bars and homes to watch the latest matches between England's top 20 football clubs. Julian McIntyre, head of GTV, an African satellite broadcaster, says that most of his customers sign up to watch sport; 95% follow football. So he decided to buy the rights to English football, then build an African television network around it.
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Africans tend to support either Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester United. Arsenal is probably Africa's most popular club, Man Utd dominates in southern Africa, Chelsea is gaining ground in west Africa, while Liverpool is the team most Googled.
Why are the English matches more popular than Spain's and Italy's, which are just as skilful? Perhaps England's pedigree as the home of football helps. So does the hectic pace and larger input of foreign, especially African, talent; at least 50 footballers from the continent play in the premiership. Indeed, some Africans say their footballers have been plundered much as Africa's raw materials have been. The premiership has certainly harmed the popularity of Africa's own leagues. Some, such as Kenya's, have all but collapsed.
So, you have African citizens going to England to play football (soccer). I think this would be services provided through GATS Mode 4, movement of natural persons, and could fall under CPC Ver. 1.1 category 96610 - Services of athletes ("services provided by individual own-account sportsmen and athletes").
Then you have the English Premier League selling the rights to broadcast the games to an African company, so that Africans in Africa can watch Africans in England play in England. (I suppose that sale could be a good or a service, depending on how the contract was written.)
And just like with trade in goods, there have been suggestions that there are losers from this trade: Africa's football leagues are struggling to compete with the Premier League for viewers. Who are all the winners and losers from the trade? I don't know if this is all, but here are some.
English consumers are better off through being able to view higher quality football. And the English Premier League is better off through the increased revenue from selling to Africa. On the other hand, some English football players lose due to the lower number of slots for them on Premier League teams.
As for Africans, the players who go to England are better off based on the high salaries they get, and some of this money is presumably repatriated. In addition, African consumers get to watch high quality football on TV. But, as noted, the African football leagues will suffer in the face of TV competition from the English leagues.
