Citizen TV Responds To KBC's Warning With New Show

Royal Media Services (RMS) TV station, Citizen TV, will on Tuesday, November 1 launch a new show with the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar 19 days away.

The show will be dubbed World Cup Barn and will be aired at 1.30 pm on the TV station and across its Viusasa and Citizen Digital platforms, according to a promo by the station.

Though not many details were revealed regarding the show, it is expected to follow a similar format to the 2018 version which featured an interactive session with football fans as well as interviews and updates regarding the tournament to be held in the Arabian Peninsula for the first time.

Screengrab of the 'World Cup barn' show in 2018. /TWITTER.CITIZEN TV

The 2018 edition notably featured live coverage from Russia by Mukami Wambora, who recently left the station after five years, without a word.

It will be the first time the show will be hosted without Wambora nor Bernard Ndong, who moved to NTV, with veteran journalist Mike Okinyi currently the last standing prominent sports personality at the station.

Reliable sources had intimated that it is said to be sourcing for talent externally and within the RMS media house.

The show comes amidst plans by its competitor, state-owned KBC, to send its journalists to the Middle-East country to cover the football tournament in real-time, ranging from the matches to reactions from fans attending the event. 

"Apart from the live matches, KBC’s presence will also be felt on location as we shall send a crew to Qatar to capture many more exhilarating moments. KBC will also package World cup attractive properties both on TV and Radio for our audience", KBC acting Managing director Samuel Maina stated on Friday, September 30.

The national broadcaster had acquired the exclusive rights to air a total of 28 matches on TV while the 12 KBC affiliate radio stations will broadcast all the 64 games.

"The breakdown of the 28 selected matches to be transmitted live on KBC Television is as follows, 18 matches during the group stages with a focus on the five Africa teams led by Africa Cup of nations champions Senegal, Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco and Tunisia, 4 matches in the round of 16, 2 quarter-final matches, the 2 semi-finals, 3rd place playoffs and the grand finale", Maina said.

He warned that he would not hesitate to take legal action against media houses that will breach the exclusive rights to show the tournament for free.

According to him, the corporation will take to court any media house that will violate the exclusivity of the broadcast rights to show arguably the biggest tournament in world football.