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World Sports Bodies raise Concern Over Kenya Copyright Bill

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Kenya’s 2019 Copyright Amendment Bill, incorporates principles from the WIPO Internet Treaties of 1996, aimed at preventing unauthorised access to and use of creative works

A coalition of global sports bodies has written an open letter to the Kenyan government, expressing concern about the Copyright Amendment Bill currently before parliament, and its potential impact on the availability of international sports content in Kenya.

The Sports Rights Owner Coalition (SROC) is an alliance of more than 50 international and national sport bodies, representing some of the world’s leading sport codes and competitions – including the English Premier League, the FA Cup, Wimbledon, MotoGP, and the Rugby World Cup.

In the recent letter, signed by Chairman Mark Lichtenstein, the SROC says its members are “extremely concerned” at changes that will be made to Kenya’s Copyright Act if the Copyright Amendment Bill becomes law.

The SROC is particularly worried about proposals to repeal sections 35B, 35C and 35D of the Copyright Act, which allow for take-down notices issued to internet-based service provider platforms which enable content piracy to flourish.

A take-down notice is a widely used remedy employed by copyright owners worldwide, compelling online platforms to rapidly remove content from their websites if it is suspected that the content infringes copyright.

The Kenya Copyright Board (KeCOBO) champion of the Partners Against Piracy (PAP) initiative, has come out in support of the SROC letter.

“Take-down notices are a critical tool for copyright holders and related rights holders to fight digital content piracy by controlling the distribution and economic viability of their work and how it is accessed online,” says Edward Sigei, KeCOBO Executive Director.

“Across the world, they help to safeguard the intellectual property rights of sports rights owners. If rights owners cannot request that pirated sports content is taken down immediately, that will threaten the future of live sports broadcasts in Kenya. Why would international sports media allow sports broadcasts in Kenya, if they have no way of stopping them from being pirated!”

Kenya’s 2019 Copyright Amendment Bill, incorporates principles from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Internet Treaties of 1996, aimed at preventing unauthorised access to and use of creative works. Takedown notices are among these principles and are necessary tools to enforce copyright protections for rights owners and distributors.

If the Amendment Bill is passed into law, Kenya will be out of step with global trends, the average Kenyan will lose out on great sports entertainment. A further negative consequence of this Amendment Bill passing would be the reputational and economic investment quagmire it would create is jeopardising Kenya’s ability to renew participation in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Agreement (AGOA) program, as one of the additional provisions of renewal requires a demonstrated commitment to copyright protection as a prerequisite to signing. Repealing section 35 of the Copyright Act, would do the exact opposite and threaten investor confidence.

The SROC points out that in Europe, policy makers are strengthening not weakening the effectiveness of take-down notices, particularly regarding live content. New proposals to protect live content more effectively in Europe are expected in the first half of 2022.

“Were the Copyright Amendment Bill to be enacted, it could have devastating consequences for both the Kenyan economy and Kenyan consumers,” says the SROC letter. “Rights holders from sport and other creative industries are extremely unlikely to license their content in a jurisdiction that effectively legitimises piracy. Consumers would therefore be deprived from watching their favourite sports and television shows, and leave Kenya isolated on the global copyright stage.”

The coalition – which includes the English FA, UEFA, the IAAF, and the International Tennis Federation – goes on to ask that the proposed new law be urgently reconsidered “so as not to harm Kenyan consumers and threaten the availability of sports and entertainment content in Kenya.”

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Africa

BGaming signs PlaylogiQ distribution deal to grow Africa reach

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PlaylogiQ will roll out BGaming’s 250+ game catalogue to operators in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Ghana, plus other emerging markets.

BGaming has partnered with African platform provider PlaylogiQ to distribute its iGaming content across the continent via PlaylogiQ’s casino and sportsbook platforms.

Under the deal, PlaylogiQ clients will get access to BGaming’s full portfolio of more than 250 titles, spanning the supplier’s #Casual, #Entertainment, and #Classic ranges. The companies said the rollout will include games such as Burning Chilli X, Fruit Million, and Aviamasters™.

PlaylogiQ provides white-label and turnkey platform solutions for sportsbook and casino operators. The company said it serves operators in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Ghana, and also works in emerging markets in Latin America and beyond.

Marina Ostrovtsova, CEO at BGaming, said, “The potential of the African market is huge, and we are proud to be able to continue to make our mark on the continent.

PlaylogiQ is one of Africa’s most respected platform providers, and its brands have played a significant role in the growth of the continent’s iGaming industry. They are committed to providing their operators with the highest-quality gaming experiences on the market, and we are excited to have secured this partnership and to begin working together.”

Margherita Giudetti, COO at PlaylogiQ, said, “Africa continues to be one of the most dynamic regions in the global iGaming industry, with player expectations evolving rapidly across different markets. Our partnership with BGaming allows us to further strengthen the content offering available to operators on the Playlogiq platform, combining high-performing games with the localized experiences that players increasingly expect.

We look forward to working closely with the BGaming team and supporting the continued growth of our operator network across Africa and other emerging markets.”

The post BGaming signs PlaylogiQ distribution deal to grow Africa reach appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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PropellerAds says Social Traffic lifts game registrations 34.5% in Nigeria test

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In a seven-day Onclick campaign, Social Traffic delivered 23.3% of registrations from 17.3% of impressions, the company reports.

PropellerAds has published new user acquisition results from a seven-day game registration campaign in Nigeria, reporting that its “Social Traffic” segment outperformed overall traffic on registrations and revenue efficiency.

According to the company, Social Traffic represented 17.3% of total impressions (20,076 of 115,671) but delivered 23.3% of registrations (199 of 853) and 24.5% of revenue ($96.06 of $392.46). Registrations per 1,000 impressions rose to 9.91 for Social Traffic versus 7.37 campaign-wide, a 34.5% increase. Revenue per 1,000 impressions (RPM) increased to $4.78 versus $3.39, up 41%.

Social Traffic is a targeting subtype within PropellerAds’ Onclick/Popunder format. When enabled on the company’s Self-Service Platform (SSP), ads are served only in placements where a user arrived from a social network such as Facebook or Instagram immediately before landing on the publisher’s page.

PropellerAds attributed the performance gap to browsing context and user intent, arguing that users coming from social platforms are more likely to complete multi-step actions such as registration. Petros Sofroniou, Account Strategist at PropellerAds, said: “In highly competitive user acquisition environments, traffic quality is increasingly critical. In practice, Social Traffic helps advertisers reach users who are more engaged and willing to take action, thereby improving registration performance in campaigns.”

The company positioned the results against what it described as a rapidly expanding Nigerian games market, citing estimates of a $3.5 billion market with roughly 60 million active users and 61% year-over-year growth. PropellerAds said it recommends testing Social Traffic as a dedicated segment and, where results hold, splitting it into a separate campaign for clearer optimization signals; it also suggested using roughly 20× target CPA as a test budget and running tests for 36–48 hours, while noting performance can vary by market and product.

The post PropellerAds says Social Traffic lifts game registrations 34.5% in Nigeria test appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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African iGaming Alliance names SPRIBE a Platinum Supplier Member

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The African iGaming Alliance (AiA) has signed a strategic partnership with iGaming supplier SPRIBE, with SPRIBE joining the pan-African industry association as a Platinum Supplier Member.

AiA said the partnership will focus on regulatory engagement, industry research, responsible gaming initiatives, policy advocacy and stakeholder engagement aimed at strengthening regulated gaming markets across African jurisdictions.

According to AiA, the collaboration will also support efforts to promote effective regulation, combat illegal gambling, improve market channelisation and encourage evidence-based policymaking.

Peter Emolemo Kesitilwe, Chief Executive Officer of the African iGaming Alliance (AiA), said:

“SPRIBE’s decision to join the African iGaming Alliance as a Platinum Supplier Member represents a significant endorsement of our vision for a sustainable and well-regulated African gaming industry. As one of the industry’s leading technology innovators, SPRIBE brings valuable expertise, insight, and global experience that will strengthen our efforts to support regulators, governments, operators, and other stakeholders across the continent. We look forward to working closely together to promote responsible gaming, regulatory best practice, and long-term industry sustainability.”

The post African iGaming Alliance names SPRIBE a Platinum Supplier Member appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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