Sports.com partners Orange to bring sports to your fingertips

Namashkar,

Victoria from Techpoint here,

Here’s what I’ve got for you today:

Sports.com partners Orange to bring sports to your fingertips
The reality of Nigeria’s hardware startup growth
US tariffs could hurt Africa’s telecom industry

Sports.com partners Orange to bring sports to your fingertips

Orange Alamein New City Shop — Image source: Orange Egypt

Sports.com is going big in Africa and the Middle East. The digital sports entertainment brand, owned by Lottery.com, just partnered with Orange to bring its content to Max it, Orange’s new super-app. This means millions of users can now stream sports videos, get live updates, catch up on news, and watch exclusive documentaries, all from their phones.

Max it, built specifically for users in Africa and the Middle East, combines telecom services, mobile money, and eCommerce in one place. Now, with Sports.com onboard, it’s also a sports hub for fans who want to stay connected to the games and athletes they love.

For people in countries like Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Mali, this partnership is a game-changer. Sports.com is bringing football, motorsports, cricket, boxing, MMA, you name it, right to their fingertips. The content is available in multiple languages and tailored to local tastes, so users can feel more connected to what they’re watching.

And it doesn’t matter what network you’re on. Max it is open to everyone and supports various payment options. Orange expects the app to hit 45 million users by the end of 2025, especially as more people in the region get smartphones. This puts Sports.com in a great position to become the go-to destination for sports lovers across the continent.

This deal is also part of a bigger plan by Sports.com to expand globally. They’ve already launched in places like Rwanda, Kenya, and Ethiopia through PlanetSport, partnered with major telecoms in South Africa, and even expanded into Singapore. Next stops: the UK and France.

According to Sports.com’s top execs, the goal is simple: work with mobile operators to give people engaging, high-quality sports content on their phones. Per the company, the Orange partnership ticks all the boxes: it’s inclusive, accessible, and perfectly tailored for a region that lives and breathes sports.

The reality of Nigeria’s hardware startup growth

Before the AI-powered Humane Pin made headlines in Silicon Valley, there was another Humane, born right here in Nigeria. In 2017, a group of students from the University of Ibadan built a device to help visually impaired people use smartphones. It was innovative enough to win the Microsoft Imagine Cup’s regional and national rounds, but it never became more than a school project. No funding, no prototype. Just a big dream that ran into the hard wall of reality.

Fast forward a few years, and even the American Humane, armed with $230 million and tech world clout, crashed after launching its AI Pin. If that doesn’t prove how brutal building hardware is, I don’t know what does. From funding challenges to a serious talent gap, hardware is tough globally, but especially in Africa.

Still, something interesting is happening in Nigeria. A few hardware startups are not only surviving, they’re thriving. NEV Electric, for instance, pulled in $14 million in revenue in just over a year and says it could hit $50 million soon. That’s from selling electric buses in Nigeria, where there are now about 5,000 EVs on the road. Wild, right?

Another name making moves is Terrahaptix. In 2023, they secured $2 million worth of drone orders, mostly from the oil and mining industries, and even started exporting to South Africa. It’s a big win for a sector that’s often overshadowed by Nigeria’s fintech obsession. And while others like Kifta Technologies had to move their operations to the US, Terrahaptix and NEV Electric found ways to make it work locally.

So, what’s changed? Why are Nigerian hardware startups finally finding their feet? A good example is Boly Media, the parent company of NEV Electric. Though founded in the US, they took a bold bet on Africa, and it’s paying off. Combine that kind of global backing with rising local demand, smarter strategies, and a growing talent pool, and suddenly, hardware success in Nigeria doesn’t seem so far-fetched.

But why are Nigerian hardware startups succeeding now? Find out why in Bolu’s latest for Techpoint Africa.

US tariffs could hurt Africa’s telecom industry

MTN Group’s CEO, Ralph Mupita, is raising the red flag about how global trade tensions, especially the US slapping new tariffs on tech imports, could hit Africa’s telecom industry hard. He brought it up during the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, warning that these moves might slow down things like mobile network expansion and 5G rollouts across the continent.

Even though he didn’t name specific countries, it’s pretty clear he’s talking about the ongoing friction between the US and other major tech-exporting nations. And for African telecom companies like MTN, which spends about $2 billion yearly on network infrastructure, higher costs from tariffs could be a major setback.

These tariffs might make vital tech equipment more expensive and delay big projects. Operators are already juggling inflation, shifting regulations, and unstable currencies; adding global politics to the mix makes things messier.

MTN’s been here before. In 2022, their Nigerian unit struggled with high diesel prices and forex shortages, which affected the rollout of base stations. Ghana’s operation also hit regulatory roadblocks that slowed its momentum.

Still, MTN hasn’t backed down. They’ve launched 5G in Nigeria and are pushing into fintech, enterprise services, and fibre broadband. But Mupita’s comments make it clear: external issues like trade wars could throw a wrench into those plans.

He’s been vocal about Africa needing “strategic autonomy” to reduce its dependency on foreign tech. That means more local manufacturing, regional partnerships, and aligned policies. But even he admits it’ll take time. Until then, African telcos remain stuck in the middle of a global tug-of-war that could shape the future of digital connectivity on the continent.

What I’m watching

Love on a Timeline with Esther Perel | What Now? with Trevor Noah Podcast
Why Working Harder Isn’t Working | Danielle Roberts | TEDxEustis

Opportunities

Pitch Friday is next tomorrow, Friday, April 11, 2025. Register here to attend.
Want to exhibit or attend the Lagos Startup Expo in June? Visit this website here.
Want to connect with professionals in tech sales and partnerships to exchange ideas and explore how revenue growth can scale Africa’s tech ecosystem? Join Tech Sales Connect 2025 on April 19th at Gomycode, Lagos. Register here.
Want to exhibit or attend the Lagos Startup Expo in June? Visit this website here.
Jumia is hiring a Logistics Operations Manager. Apply here.
Airtel Africa is looking for a Home BroadBand Manager. Apply here.
Coca Cola is hiring a Senior Director, Human Insights Africa. Apply here.
Kuda is hiring IS-Administrator. Apply here.
OPEC is recruiting a Production Manager in Abuja. Apply here.

Want to connect with professionals in tech sales and partnerships to exchange ideas and explore how revenue growth can scale Africa’s tech ecosystem? Join Tech Sales Connect 2025 on April 19th at Gomycode, Lagos. Register here.

Building a startup can feel isolating, but with Equity Merchants CommunityConnect, you can network with fellow founders, experts, and investors, gaining valuable insights and exclusive resources to help you grow your business. Click here to join.
Help us make Techpoint better for you! Your feedback shapes what comes next (your responses may potentially save my job. A bit dramatic, but still). It will only take 30 seconds to tell us what works and what doesn’t. Fill it here.
To pitch your startup or product to a live audience, check out this link.
Have any fresh products you’d like us to start selling? Check out this link here.
Flutterwave is hiring to fill in several positions. Apply here.
Paystack is hiring for several roles. Apply here.
Moniepoint is hiring for several roles. Apply here.
Follow Techpoint Africa’s WhatsApp channel to stay on top of the latest trends and news in the African tech space here.