Role of broadcast media in promoting Nigerian sports through marketing

The main aim of the study was to examine how sports marketing in the Nigerian broadcast media aids sports development in the country. The work sought answers to the challenges sports marketers encounter in their dealings with the Nigerian broadcast media and evaluated the perception of sports marketing in the Nigerian broadcast media among sports journalists. The work was anchored on the AIDA Marketing model. The study adopted mixed methods of qualitative and quantitative research design using the questionnaire and in-depth interview guide as research instruments. Copies of the questionnaire were filled by three hundred respondents while three sports marketing executives were interviewed. The findings from the study are that effective sports marketing in the Nigerian broadcast media aids sports development by making sports products like the Nigeria Premier Football League popular among Nigerians and attracting sponsors; that high cost of airtime, lack of trust, market uncertainties and lack of infrastructure are some of the challenges sports marketers encounter and that Nigerian sports journalists have a positive perception of sports marking noting that its effective use increases the popularity of the NPFL leading to investment by sponsors which engenders sports development in the country. Consequently, it was recommended that the Nigerian broadcast media improve their involvement in sports marketing and significantly increase their coverage of the Nigeria Premier Football League and other domestic sports products in order to aid sports development in the country.