MTN EKASI TV fever is spreading fast as MTN turns five more Township Parks into World Soccer Stadiums.

MTN EKASI TV has switched on in another five of South Africa’s townships, which means that all the excitement of local and international live big screen football is now being experienced in a total of 15 township park sites around the country. The new sites include Makushane in Phalaborwa, Mhluzi in Middelburg, Kathlehong in Ekurhuleni, Kwa Thema, another Ekurhuleni township and Etafeni in Tembisa.

MTN EKASI TV sites deliver football, education and entertainment free to township communities on giant television screens in family friendly environments.

The switch on of the five new MTN EKASI TV sites will not only give the township communities the chance to feel what it’s like to be part of a big stadium crowd, but they will also encourage community togetherness and bring much needed social upliftment to some of the country’s underserviced areas.

Makushane is a small cultural village just 13km away from the Kruger Park’s Phalaborwa Gate. Proud of their brand new “soccer stadium park”, residents hope that their MTN EKASI TV will attract tourists en route to the Park to join the local community in watching the MTN 8, FIFA World Cup and many other games, local and international.

Switch on in Mhluzi township, part of the Steve Tshwete Municipality, took place on 25th June and in the six weeks that it has been in operation the turnout has far exceeded expectations.

Kathlehong, in Ekurhuleni, lies south of Germiston between Thokoza and Vosloorus and is the second biggest township after Soweto.  The people of Kathlehong believe that MTN EKASI TV will help build community spirit and pride. 

The final two sites are in Kwa Thema, also in the Ekurhuleni Municipatlity and Etafeni in Tembisa. Both are high density areas serving large communities.  MTN EKASI TV provides a much needed leisure area that is secure and will keep the children off the streets.

More than 80,000 fans packed into the ten existing MTN EKASI TV sites during the FIFA Confederations Cup, which were - Ivory Park, Eldorado Park, Diepsloot, Diepkloof, Alexandra, Thokoza, Joubert Park, Lenasia, Orange Farm and Elandsdoorn (Limpopo). The fans gathered together in their community parks to watch the 8 teams “at home”, and were also treated to other activities such as 5-a-side soccer games, DJ’s, world of soccer, foosball, on-screen SMS competitions and interactive games, to make their football outings even more memorable.

All MTN EKASI TV community parks are operating along the same lines. Screens switch on at 2pm with cartoons, Disney channel and educational programming for the communities’ children. Later, the programming switches to music, followed by sport. Closing time is generally 7pm, but on days featuring late football, closure is after the last game. 

The PSL MTN 8 competition kicked-off on the 4th August and all games can be seen on the screens for those who cannot get to the stadiums. This initiative has been highly successful with over 5 000 people attending each MTN Ekasi TV venue.  Extra security has been brought in to manage the large crowds, which are expected to swell even more for the Final.

Each MTN EKASI TV entertainment line-up changes continuously to provide variety. Security is paramount when community safety is concerned, and to this end all venues have extra security personnel, as well as a strong South African Police Service (SAPS) and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) presence.

MTN is passionate about football and will continue to bring the game to the people.  MTN Chief Marketing Officer, Serame Taukobong, justly proud of MTN’s win-win initiative, said: ”It helps City Parks to breathe much-needed life into the township communities and enables us to add dimension, integrity and very real meaning to MTN as a brand at work, making a difference in the lives of its target market”.

Although the FIFA Confederation Cup is over, there is still much general sport and soccer excitement to be enjoyed on the 15 giant MTN EKASI TV screens every week, along with all the other fun and games. Additional MTN EKASI TV sites are being planned for imminent rollout. More communities can look forward to 2010 along with the rest of South Africa. We can’t wait!

ABOUT THE MTN GROUP

Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a multinational telecommunications group, operating in 21 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: "MTN". As at 31 December 2008, MTN recorded 90,7 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. The MTN Group is a global sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ and has exclusive mobile content rights for Africa and the Middle East. Visit www.mtn.com and www.mtnfootball.com.

For more media information, please contact:
Ntombizodwa Mhangwani (MTN) 083 201 0007
Kassey Belluigi (ICE) 011 5064480