By Amakoh Kelechi
Successful people are said to be those who grab opportunities that come their way. They do not miss any chance without utilising it. They believe in the saying that “opportunities come but once so make the best use when it comes.”
When biography of CEO, Hot Sports Network, Taye Ige is written, it will be recalled that he made the best of an opportunity he had in 1996 that has today made him to be a force to be reckoned with in sports marketing business due.
He got the chance to be transferred to the sports department from the political desk of The Week magazine when the sports reporter sent to cover Atlanta 1996 failed to return. Having worked for Complete Football before then, Ige, a graduate of Nigeria Institute of Journalism (NIJ) had no problem fitting into the new role as a sports reporter.
“I worked for The Week and in fact actually on the political desk. I was doing my job well before something happened in 1996 during the Atlanta Game The magazine sent its sports reporter to cover the game. When he did not return, I was drafted to the Sports Desk by the then deputy deputy editor of The Week, Muyiwa Akintude,” Ige recounted in a recent interview with The Nation Newspapers.
During the early days of broadcasting sports, he will recalled his business acumen: “Then, I will buy airtime from NTA Channel 5, which was the rave of the moment at that time in Lagos, put programme on it, set up a very good marketing machinery for it, go out to market the programme in corporate establishments, visit agencies, attract direct clients and you pay the station, you pay logistics and other production cost from the money realised from the commercial support. Then the remaining becomes the company’s profit.”
For Ige, the passion for sports marketing is a major factor in his success story. “I have always found joy in doing what I am doing and it has been bringing me good result. “
His foray into sports marketing was necessitated by the deregulation experienced in the broadcasting sector then.
“The federal government had just deregulated the broadcast environment and made it open for individuals and private organisations to play an active role. Before then, broadcasting was on the exclusive list of government alone could own stations. It was stated then that one could actually own TV stations. And so they started issuing licenses to interested individuals who had the capacity and passion to own television stations.
“Again, sport is very easy to sell because it was and is still seen as Nigeria’s no 1 religion. It is the only platform that brings us one, irrespective of religion or ethnic identity,” Ige stated.
For this reasons, Hot Sports has continually been n the marketing business since seventeen years ago. Also for lovers of in-depth sports analysis, Hot Sports provides such platform since its debut in 1998.
Ige who clocked 50 on October 4 recounts his father’s reaction on hearing his career ambition: “I remember the day I left secondary school, myself and my elder brother, who is today a civil engineer, was sat down by our late father. He put it straight to us what we were willing to become in future.
“My brother said he wanted to become a civil engineer. He turned to me; I didn’t hesitate for a minute before I told him I wanted to become a journalist. He said: ‘You want to become a journalist, what is journalism all about?’ I told him those who were talking on television.
” Then my father said: ‘you that stammered of the highest order. You want to go and talk on television. Well anyway, I wish you good luck’.”
After 50 years, Ige is of the school of thought that life should be lived with patience. “Although at the beginning of life endeavour, it would appear things are not working out when we consider some fundamentals but at the end, it will turn out to be a strong foundation for a successful ending.”
For the man who sees no bus stop in success avenue sets his sights on greater feats. Hear this: “in a few months to come, we (Hot Sports) will be opening a full fledged studio and comprehensive programme outfit that would be the biggest centre of sport production in the country.”