For Kenyan football fans who love their Premier League served with the drama of live radio commentary, the 2025/26 season is bringing a seismic shift. Standard Group PLC has just announced it holds the exclusive radio broadcast rights for the English Premier League in Kenya, meaning from kickoff on 15 August, only three stations will be allowed to bring you the action over the airwaves: Radio Maisha, Spice FM, and Berur FM.
This means no more tuning in to Radio Citizen or Radio Jambo for live EPL action. Standard Group’s deal gives them sole authority to air EPL matches on radio. With this exclusivity, no other broadcaster can sneak in a cheeky “watch on TV and commentate” workaround. Whether you’re watching from DStv, Showmax, GoTV, or even a pub screen in the middle of nowhere, if you try to put it on air without their blessing, you’re breaking the rules and risking legal action.
The timing is fascinating. An IPSOS Q1 2025 report crowned Radio Citizen as Kenya’s radio king, with a massive 9.3% reach and 17.3% share of listenership. Radio Jambo followed in second, with Kameme Radio, Radio 47, and others trailing behind. But none of them will be able to give you a minute of live EPL coverage this season.
Radio Maisha, one of the three stations now holding EPL rights, sat mid-pack with a 2.4% reach, making it the only top-10 station that will actually air live matches this season. The other two, Spice FM and Berur FM, don’t even feature in the top 10 list meaning their listener base is far smaller than the likes of Citizen, Jambo, and Kameme. The upshot? EPL radio coverage in Kenya will almost certainly reach fewer ears than in previous years, when multiple big-name stations shared the action.
This could sting for football-loving audiences in rural Kenya, where radio reigns supreme (65.6% listening rate compared to 34.4% in urban areas), and among the core 25–34 age bracket, which makes up the largest chunk of radio listeners at 33.2%.
For Standard Group, this isn’t just about football. It’s a strategic play in a media space that’s rapidly evolving. As we explored earlier this year on how Kenya’s podcast industry is colliding with mainstream radio, audiences are fragmenting, younger listeners are experimenting with on-demand audio, and legacy broadcasters are fighting to hold loyalty. Securing a cultural juggernaut like the EPL is a powerful way to keep fans hooked on traditional radio, even as digital alternatives beckon.
And with the Premier League’s reputation for wild upsets and last-minute goals, Radio Maisha, Spice FM, and Berur FM will be banking on fans sticking around and maybe even rediscovering the thrill of commentary without the visuals.
If you’re an EPL fan in Kenya and your matchday ritual involves radio, it’s time to reprogram your presets. This season, it’s Standard Group or nothing. For the rest, well… let’s just say some stations may be shifting to “match analysis” and post-game chatter instead of live play-by-play.
Kick-off is just days away. Liverpool vs Bournemouth opens the season on 15 August at 10PM local time.
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