Sportsville Communication Services Limited has entered a Memorandum of Understanding with Media Icons Africa Limited to market the Sportsville Special Recognition Awards, beginning with the seventh edition planned for the first quarter of 2027.
The partnership was confirmed in a statement signed by Frank Ilaboya, chief executive of Sportsville, and John Upah, his counterpart at Media Icons Africa.
Ilaboya described the deal as an important move in broadening the awards’ reach and creating a stronger financial foundation after six years spent establishing the brand. He said the long-term ambition was to make the ceremony Nigeria’s leading sports honours platform and the top programme of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa.
He added that Sportsville had devoted the past six years to developing the awards’ reputation and now believed the project was ready to become commercially sustainable. The positive response received so far, he said, had strengthened the organisation’s determination to pursue the number-one position in Nigeria and across sub-Saharan Africa.
Upah, who previously served as Marketing Director of Canal+ Africa Nigeria, said Media Icons Africa had monitored the ceremony over several years and viewed it as a respected and trustworthy part of the sports community.
He said the agency was delighted to join the annual awards project, noting that it had extensive experience in the sports marketplace. Upah added that Media Icons Africa would draw on more than 30 years in the industry to drive the event’s marketing.
The Sportsville Special Recognition Awards began in 2020, the same year Sportsville celebrated two decades as an independent sports production company. The Ilaboya-led organisation broadcasts its programmes on more than 15 stations across the country and ranks among Africa’s longest-established independent sports programmes.
