With just three weeks to the Fifa World Cup’s kick-off, free-to-air partners NTV and Kwese Free Sports have unveiled their advertising offerings for live matches of the tournament to be held in Russia.

The June 14 to July 15 bonanza will kick off with the match between hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.

NTV and Kwese Free Sports hosted an “advertisers’ experience” in Nairobi on Tuesday to announce the tournament’s viewing package and advertising opportunities while unveiling the marketing programme for the world’s most popular competition.

Nation Media Group’s NTV will broadcast 32 of the tournament’s key matches live from Russia in what will be the only free-to-air offering in Kenya.

The NMG-Kwese partnership grants NMG exclusive free-to-air broadcast rights of the tournament in Kenya together with Kwese Free Sports.

Advertisers mingled with staff from Kwese and NMG in the informal, World Cup-themed breakfast at the city’s Movenpick Hotel on Tuesday with master of ceremonies, Watson Karuma of NTV, kicking off the engagements aimed at taking advantage of advertising opportunities available on the Kwese and NTV platforms.

This was after a session of football free-styling, penalty kicks and target practice for the guests at the informal setting that worked well towards hyping up the World Cup spirit.

Karuma philanthropically dished out coveted official World Cup team jerseys to NMG and Kwese clients who answered, correctly, random questions on the World Cup.

Among those present at Tuesday’s client activation was NMG’s acting chief executive officer Stephen Gitagama and the group’s senior management along with sales and sports desk teams.

Players from NMG’s football wing, Nation FC, led by skipper Allan Munga, a business analyst at the group, and no-nonsense defenders Josiah Ochieng and John “Jontes” Ohuma, both sales executives, lit up the occasion with football banter.

They were accompanied by utility player Eric Isinta, a cameraman with NTV, and the midfield trio of Ken Kusimba, John Wahome and Linus Ombette who are attached to the imaging and editorial graphics departments.

By Elias Makori