startimes Archives

Keeping Up With The Ball? 5 Things to lookout For in 2020-21 Football Season

New seasons of the English Premier League (EPL), Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga, Italian Seria A and French Ligue un are back.

Just last week, Crystal Palace knocked Manchester United 3-1 at Old Trafford, bringing back the ‘anything can happen’ tingles of the premier league.

In Germany, current UEFA champions and Bundesliga winner, Bayern Munich kickstarted their new season with an 8-0 slaughter of Schalke. Jeez!

Christiano Ronaldo pulled in a late one on the 88th minute as Juventus cruised 3-0 over Sampdoria in Seria A season opener. Guess the race for who’s best between him and his long time rival, Lionel Messi has just begun.

Speaking of Messi; he is yet to record a goal this season as FC Barcelona is just concluding pre-season ahead of 2020-21 La Liga.

Something to look out for, right? Or perhaps, we should look with awe into Ligue Un where Paris Saint Germain sits 8th on the league table haven lost two early matches. Hmmm. . .

With so much cooking up in Europe’s top 5 leagues, here are 5 things to look out for as the 2020-21 season unfolds:

Messi-Barca Ripple

The over-broadcasted news about Messi leaving FC Barcelona would most likely be felt all season long. Every move made by the Argentine would surely be scrutinized in the light of this.

Although reports state that Messi is willing to play one more season with Barcelona, all eyes are on him. Would he punish Barca for refusing to let him go or would he deliver yet another stunning result this season?

Bayern for another UEFA title?

Following a strong year for Bayern Munich last season, experts are predicting the German against might bag themselves yet another UEFA Champions League title; that is if they continue playing as they are currently.

The early 8-0 trashing of strong rivals, Schalke last week already shows Bayern’s intent. And with a solid squad of young talents, an ambitious coach and passionate fans, those predictions might just come true.

Liverpool on the hot seat

Current EPL champions are starting the season in a position all previous EPL winners do find themselves; – defending the title. Jurgen Klopp managed to pull a stunt for the reds last season by winning the title for Liverpool’s after a 30-years old title draught.

Now, he finds himself defending the title against strong contenders; the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea; a team that just spent $300 million on boosting their squad.

Another UEFA, Another Barca, Another Drama?

Barcelona has become the object of mockery in UEFA Champions League following 4 consecutive humiliating exists. The latter being an 8-2 trashing at the hands of Bayern Munich.

The club has shown spirit, however, in starting a new sporting project; signing new talents, urging old legs out, bringing in a more fitting manager, shifting some powers is management, etc; but fans around the world would never forget Barca’s UEFA Champions League woes.

Another UEFA, another Barca!

New Phase for Juventus?

When Christiano Ronaldo joined Juventus, it was solely to help them win the UEFA Champions League. 3 years down the lane, that is yet to happen.

Juventus had to sack Maurizio Sarri following a disappointing season in 2019-20 UEFA and appointed Andrea Pirlo as new manager. Is this the new face to lead Juventus into European glory once again?

To catch all of the footballing action this season, simply subscribe your GOtv, DStv or StarTimes. Non-stop entertainment waiting for you! Renew TV subscription with VTpass.

Champions League Resumes 7th August, Finally

When major football leagues (EPL, La Liga, Seria A, and Bundesliga) resumed; fans got their tint of hope of possible Champions league resumption. Although the date of resumption was announced by UEFA 3 months ago, the feeling of ‘it’s finally here!’ can’t be really shaken off.

After a five-months hiatus due to the global pandemic, the UEFA Champions League and Europa League resume August 7th, 2020 in order to play out the pending matches of this troubled season.

Subscribe your GOtv, DStv or Startimes now

However, things would take a different shape. UEFA set out two mini competitions to solved the puzzle of travelling amidst the pandemic. Uncompleted round of 16 matches would be played out in host stadiums on 7th and 8th of August. Then from 12th August, all roads lead to Lisbon, Portugal where quarter-final matches would be played in knockout form. Oops, no home and away.

Here’s a timeline of UEFA Champions League activities:

7-8 August: Round of 16-second legs (host home stadiums)
12-15 August: Quarter-finals (Lisbon)
18-19 August: Semi-finals (Lisbon)
23 August: Final (Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Lisbon)

So put on your soccer shoes, yank out the popcorn and enjoy. Major round of 16 ties includes:

Barcelona vs Napoli: It was honors when this two first met in a 1-1 draw at Naples. The Spanish giants would be at home advantage when they host Napoli at the Camp Nau
Manchester City vs Real Madrid: Current Spanish champions fell at home to City in the firs encounter. They face an uphill task coming back against Gurdiola’s men at the Etihad.
Juventus vs Lyon: Lyon leads 1-0 in this encounter. The men from Turin would be better prepared to host their opponent who play away this time around.
Bayern vs Chelsea: This is perhaps the center of attention. With Chelsea trailing 3-0 from the first leg; it’s looking bleak for the Blues when they finally face Bayern in Germany.

It’s really juicy as it sounds, we can’t wait! You can latch unto the action by subscribing your GOtv, DStv, or Startimes now. Don’t be told of what’s going down. And when you’re not watching football, relax into the drama of the on-going Big Brother Naija Season 5!

VTpass always got you covered.

Changes in StarTimes Bouquets Prices From August 1st

StarTimes announced weeks ago of bouquets’ price changes. Subscription prices of four (4) bouquets would change starting from August 1st, 2020.

According to Viki Liu, StarTimes brand and marketing manager; this measure was taken as a result of the effect of naira depreciation affecting all businesses in the country. Below are the affected bouquets and their new prices;

Bouquet	Current Price			New Price on August 1
	Daily	Weekly	Monthly	Daily	Weekly	Monthly
DTT-BASIC	120	450	1300	160	600	1700
DTT-CLASSIC	240	900	1900	320	1200	2500
DTH-SMART	180	600	1900	200	700	2200
DTH-SUPER	360	1300	3800	400	1500	4200

Channels available on stated bouquets have equally been updated for your enjoyment. Close to 80 channels now available on StarTimes Basic and close to 100 available on Classic bouquet.

To this effect, VTpass would be equally be implementing these StarTimes price changes on our platform from August 1st, 2020. Prices for Basic, Super, Smart, and Classic would reflect new amounts. However, subscription prices of other packages would remain the same.

Thank you for choosing VTpass.

Good to know: Change in Dstv and GOtv packages.

Where to Watch German Bundesliga on StarTimes

The German football league, the DFL, recently resumed on May 16, 2020, after more than two months on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic; which was bad news for StarTimes subscribers.

As a strategic partner, StarTimes resumed broadcast of all Bundesliga matches live and exclusive in Africa right from the first re-opener between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke.

According to StarTimes Sports Director, Shi Maochu; “It has been a very tough period for football around the world. We are very happy to have StarTimes bring back live football in Africa, and even more, as Bundesliga is one of the best leagues in the world.”

He also noted that the league had been halted since early April due to the coronavirus pandemic and Bundesliga is the first and only major football league to be back in action.

Fans know to expect goals from Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski who has been exceptional this season with over 40 goals to his name, and Dortmund’s 19 years old sensation, Erling Haaland, widely regarded as a goal machine.

Premier League clubs-target Timo Werner remains in sterling form for RB Leipzig and would continue to disrupt the transfer market if he continues to score goals.

Barcelona’s loanee, Philippe Coutinho is set to miss some actions for his side, Bayern Munich, due to injury. All eyes would be watching Jadon Sancho perform his magic for Dortmund.

Where to watch Bundesliga on StarTimes

Catch all matches live and in HD on StarTimes’ 5 sports channels. Subscribe your StarTimes decoder now to never miss any minute of the live-action!

Top Bundesliga action going down tomorrow includes:

Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich (2:30 PM) and Borussia Dortmund vs Hertha Berlin (5:30 PM).

Renew StarTimes subscription online and instantly with VTpass, Nigeria’s leading online payment platform.

Follow VTpass on social media: Facebook. Twitter. Instagram.

Football Returns! Official Resumption Dates of Major Leagues

The past three months have been horrible for the world of football due to the global pandemic. The king of sports was suspended in many leagues globally, pending the die down of Coronavirus, and fans just can’t wait for its resumption.

Our fight over Covid-19 took a winning edge two months back, enough to allow the resumption of minor economic activities as well as sports world over. Since then, football fans have been looking over their shoulders expectantly.

Major leagues are officially scheduled to resume at several dates in the month of June! German Bundesliga officially resumed on May 16 and gave everyone a headstart of what to expect from post-pandemic football:

How Football might be different post-pandemic

No fans in the stands. Football resumption would see matches been played behind closed doors. Only players, team staffs, technical people, news crews, police, stadium workers, and a few others would be allowed into stadiums on match days.

Sanitization before substitution. It’s weird but players coming into an on-going game might have to sanitize themselves before stepping on the pitch. The usual hand-claps or embraces between the out-going and incoming players would stop for now.

Wearing face marks. The opening derby between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke had players on the bench putting on face masks and sitting two feet away from each other. This protective measure can equally apply to other leagues upon resumption.

Solo goal celebration. Goals make football and celebrating them adds to the fun. However, players may be advised to keep from touch/contact styles of celebration as seen from Haaland’s goal against Schalke.

Official Resumption dates of Major Leagues

Now to the main gist, here are dates of football resumption for the top 3 European leagues:

Subscribe your GOtv, DStv, or StarTimes now to catch up on the action

English Barclays Premier League (EPL)

Known as the king of European football, the EPL is set to return on June 17 with a heavyweight match in the offing: Manchester City Vs Arsenal! Eyebrows are raised as to how the first EPL match after over 90 days would look like.

Liverpool FC is top of the table and with just 3 wins away from the trophy, the famous league action is set to focus more on the adrenaline run among clubs for top four Championship League qualification!

Spanish La Liga Santander

Favorite among lovers of technical gameplay, La Liga would make an earlier return than the EPL. The famous, hotly contested derby match between Real Betis and Sevilla would restart the league on June 11.

Defending champions Barcelona are two points ahead of Real Madrid at the top of the table with 11 matches remaining.

The top-4 quest is tighter than ever this season with Real Sociedad, Sevilla, Getafe, and Athletico de Madrid all punching hard for a place in 2021 Champions League!

Italian Seria A

Everyone would understand if Seria A authorities decide to terminate the unfinished 2019/20 season, but that’s not the case. Lovers of tactical defensive football can smile with relief as Seria A action would return on 20th June.

The announcement was made by the country’s sports minister, Vincenzo Spadafora. With leaders Juventus just one point clear second-placed Lazio, there are still a lot of title-claiming actions to see.

UEFA Champions League

We decided to save the best for the last. While fans of different leagues are excited at the return of their favorite football, all eyes are itching to see the completion of the top-flight competition.

When Athletico de Madrid performed a stunt against Liverpool at Anfield in a match that saw them win 3-2, fans simply knew the 2019/2020 Champions League was set to provide top entertainment in the final rounds.

We would have to wait longer as UEFA announced that the Champions League would likely resume on August 7-8.

The French Ligue Un was ended with PSG announced winners while the Dutch Eredivisie was named null: no winners, no relegations.

To catch all of the footballing actions returning, subscribe your GOtv, DStv, or StarTimes decoder. Don’t wait to be told of the showdowns.

News: Changes in the MultiChoice prices and bouquets

Top-up your mobile data for any network (MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9mobile, or Smile) to stay in touch with the latest happenings as regards football resumption.

See you on the action side!

What to do when in a Bad Mood While at Work

There is this popular cliche that “every day is not Christmas”. This resonates the fact there are good days and there are bad days. Some days, we get to smile and laugh and joke around. But on some other day, the reverse is the case. And while we might have enough to spend on some days, we might not other days. And yes, this one fact determines how things run quite a lot. So, on very bad days, how do we get to control ourselves and prevent an outburst? And, especially on the days when you get to go to work and mingle with people. Now, this is something that needs addressing.

But first, it is very important to always nip in the bud any arising bad mood swing. And that is, by first locating the root cause of the foul mood. Without any doubt, the ultimate cause of bad mood and mood swings is when one is having a bad day due to certain inconveniences and hurdles. So say, you are self-employed and you are hoping to meet a deadline. But then, your meter ran out of power just as soon as you started working. You get off to renew it but your car is out of fuel. So, you get a cab only to be stuck in traffic. Now, for anyone, this is terribly bad and it can swing a bad mood. Worse still, wanting to call someone direly to find that your airtime is out and over can be very discouraging.

Now, there is an easy way out of this inconveniences that sour one’s mood. And that is VTpass. VTpass is an online payment platform that guarantees you absolute convenience with regards to the payments of your bills. Right in your home or office, you can, at any time, make payments for your everyday bills. And VTpass is very quick too. You make payment in three easy steps (-Log on -Select -Pay) and you get your service. Just like that. Talk about settling your electricity bills, TV subscription, airtime and data quickly, VTpass is one sure way.

So, since you will be logging on to vtpass.com or using the VTpass app which is on Google Play Store. You might not necessarily need or have a bad mood. But all the same, let us see just you can deal with a bad mood while at work.

ADMIT

You first need to see through you and admit that you are in a bad mood and admit it before doing anything about it.

KEEP TO YOURSELF

Really, this is the safest way to dealing with a bad mood while at work. Pretend you are neck deep in work and don’t say too much to anyone. They would not know of your sour mood. And you would definitely not hurt anyone if you keep to yourself.

GET TO WORK ALREADY

Have you been procrastinating a particular task? Well, you have a bad mood and you need to exhaust yourself. So, get down to the real task and do it.

MUSIC

Music is the food of the soul and evidently the medicine for a bad mood too. So, plug in your ears and move your legs to your favourite vibes.

YOU CAN STILL LAUGH

Even in a bad mood, laughter is not quite far-fetched from us. So, why not look inward or outward for that humorous thing and go on to have a good laugh?

FACE IT HEAD-ON

Still, the best way to quell a bad mood is to face it head-on Whatever the crisis may be, look it in the face and address it squarely. When you successfully get rid of it, you will be better for it.

But why not altogether prevent a bad mood by preventing those slight inconveniences that get to you? With VTpass, you can wriggle your way out of any such bad mood by getting the convenience you deserve. Pay your bills with convenience. Log on to vtpass.com or download the VTpass app now.

GET PUBLICITY MATERIALS FROM VTPASS

Time and time again, VTpass proves itself as an enterprise that values collectivism and partnership. So, it is with this regard that we open ourselves up to agents and partners who are willing to walk the mile with us. Our network of agents is spread across the country. And we are very much intent on ensuring the progress of each and every one of them. So, we make progressive efforts to grant them ease in offering and reselling our services. And with this in mind, we duly provide publicity materials that will enhance their profitability and enhancement.

So, are you a VTpass terminal agent and you think you need more materials to improve your service to customers? Why not approach our desk via any of our support lines and request for your own publicity kit. Given the one fact that you are a progressive partner of VTpass, these publicity materials are free. And they are really of qualitative influence. The publicity kit contains banners of various sizes, T-shirts, caps, flyers, posters, stickers and the likes. As you would see, this is a bonus to your reselling business.

So, you do not quite understand what being a terminal agent is? Then you need to know about the happy earner program.

HAPPY EARNER PROGRAM

Earn easy by partnering with us.
Join the VTPass.com Happy Earner Program and earn money online.
We have provided all the tools and resources you need to earn a commision with VTpass

There are 4 easy ways to Earn.

Join our Affiliate Programme

Do you have a website? Earn Happy by placing our affiliate banners on your website.
You can also share our affiliate links or embed our links in your Blog posts.

You get a commission on whatever was paid for through your affiliate links.

Get started today.

Set up in simple steps

1. Activate the affiliate feature
2. Generate an affiliate banner code
3. Place on your website and watch your earnings grow.

Then you can monitor, track progress and make changes to boost your earnings.

Place our Widgets on Your website

Through our widget, people can pay for services directly on our website.

Embed the VTpass Happy Earners widget on your website and earn commissions on purchases made through the widget.

You can place on your website sidebar and you can also create a page for it.

Step:
1. Activate the widget feature
2. Generate a widget code
3. Place on your website (sidebar or page).

Promote the buy page on your website.

Seat and watch your earnings grow.

Become a Terminal Agent

Don’t have a website? No need to worry.

Become a terminal agent and resell our services in your area.

You can still earn on VTpass by activating the Terminal agent feature.

Suitable if you have a shop, a student or in locations where there are physical customers.

You deliver services to your customers and they pay you cash.

Sell VTpass services to your customers from your location and earn a commission for every purchase.

Step:
1. Activate the terminal agent feature
2. Top up your VTpass wallet for easy payment
3. Market your services in your location and start earning

Refer a Friend

Simply share your referral link with your Friends & Family.

Earn a commission on any purchases they make for the next 30 days.

QUICK TIPS ABOUT MAKING A WISE INVESTMENT

If you got a penny, you do not bury it in the ground to gather dirt. You utilise it to gain more pennies. So yes, this is an anecdote that emphasizes the need to not just make money, but to use the money to create wealth. In essence, this underscores the importance of investments. So, you have been meaning to invest in some business or venture. But you do not know how to go about it. Or you are very sceptical about the success of the whole enterprise. Well, here are some few handy tips that will take you through how to make a wise investment. But first, you would want to learn how to make life more convenient for you through VTpass.

So, VTpass is an online payment platform that enables you to make payments for your bills easily and quickly. With vtpass.com or with the VTpass app on your mobile phone, you can easily settle your electricity bills, data, airtime, TV subscriptions and much more. And yes, you can pay from wherever you are, at home, in the office. And you get to pay in just three easy steps:

-Log On -Select -Pay

This is quite a good way to save time, energy and money. So go on and pay those pending bills by logging on to vtpass.com or downloading the VTpass app for Android.

So, moving on, here are useful tips to help your investment plans run smoothly.

LEARN YOUR TRADE

It is very common to see people who want to invest in one thing or another. But they don’t know a nickel about whatever it is they are investing in. They trust the judgement of other people. And they believe things will work well if they put in good money and hire great people. This isn’t how it should be. Whatever it is you are going into, you have to learn the trade. You necessarily don’t have to be a PRO in the field. But you need just enough to keep you above your game. This is especially for those who want to go into stocks or cryptocurrency, not knowing what it all about can wreck an investor.

DO NOT TWO-TIME

Another mistake people make is getting the feeling they can do so many things at the same time. As much as being a serial entrepreneur is possible, there is the need to centralize on just one thing. The other things you do should be able to adjust or evolve to that one cause you are out to accomplish. Let’s say, you want to start a restaurant. It wouldn’t make sense to still want to start up a website company at the same time. But then, starting with a restaurant, giving it all the attention it deserves and then expanding it to a hotel or supermarket is a reasonable sort of two-timing.

SET GOALS

Following up on the last point, for your investment to be profitable, you need to see where you want your money to be even before it is there. You need to set goals. Your investment will become what you want it to be. So, dream big and work at it.

LEVERAGE ON FREE OPPORTUNITIES

Right in this world we are, there are very many opportunities out there. So your investment need not be your investment alone. You can go out there and act on leveraging the several opportunities available.

DON’T LISTEN TO GOSSIPS

Now, the news is different from gossips. You can get useful tips about your investments by putting your ears to the ground, and listen for real-time news. But do not, for once, pay attention to the gossips around. And don’t take any decision because everyone is taking it. Know what works for you and stick to it.

SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE

Those who try to be rich overnight make their money from investments. And then, they go on to lose it all in one quick swoop. This is what greed and impatience can do. So, rather than trying to gather your retirement money all at once. Why not take it one step at a time. The sweetest of gains is the one that was bitter in the making.

So, you should now be able to put things in perspective. After knowing what you want to invest in, learn it. Then work your way up your own way. Don’t be distracted by the things on the sidelines. Look out for important opportunities. Grab it and keep doing what you know how to do best.

At VTpass, we love great ideas and we love to see people succeed. It is with this in mind that we are in the business of making life more easier for everyone. So that by logging on to vtpass.com or downloading the VTpass app, you can easily make payment for your everyday bills. Airtime, data, electricity bills, TV subscriptions, name it, you can settle them easily on VTpass. With VTpass, life can only get better.

NEWLY RELEASED NOLLYWOOD MOVIES FOR YOUR DELIGHT

So, we once talked about the amazing films that can help make your weekend a delight. But then, most of the mentioned movies were basically international movies, Hollywood to be precise. So, why not let us backtrack to our indigenous movies. Quite a lot of new movies are emerging in the Nollywood scene. And most of them are quite notable. So, we will be reeling out a couple of movies you can watch for your relaxation this weekend.

Before then, it is useful to point out that there really is not going to be a good TV time if bills are left hanging. So, catering for your bills first and settling them is the way to go. And you can do this easily and speedily by logging on to vtpass.com. Or you can simply download the VTpass app for Android. VTpass, as an online payment platform makes it way easy to pay your bills, electricity bills, airtime, data, TV subscription and much more. You can easily pay off these bills in just three easy steps: Log On, Select, Pay.

So, here are some of the newly released Nollywood movies at your behest.

Memoirs Of 4

This film is as new as a newly scented room itself. Adesua Etomi takes the lead as Teniola. And she rocks it with Blossom Chukwuemeka. But they are not the only one in this party. Other equally powerful actors like Joseph Benjamin appear in this movie. Just as the title suggests, the movie shows the struggles of four women.

The Royal Hibiscus Hotel

A chef, an authoritative father, a loving mother and a handsome stud who likes to eat, this movie is set to blow the roof away. And guess what, it is out. So, you can go feast your eyes on it for the weekend.

The Wedding Party 2

It is no more news that this blockbuster movie now has its sequel out in the wood. You want a piece of drama, romance and comedy, this is the film to watch.

Coming to America

This film which already has a telling has undergone an African Remake to star the likes of Van Vicker and Mercy Johnson. This is also one you would enjoy.

So yes, your weekend can be just fantastic with this movies. But first, go on to renew your TV subscription or renew your data by logging on to vtpass.com and download the VTpass app for Android.

A BRIEF ON THE CHELSEA AND BARCA MATCH

Just yesterday, Chelsea and Barcelona came together at the UEFA in a match that is nothing short of classic. The match, which started around 8:45 pm Nigerian time, was one match that put every football fan in high spirits. And the match lived up to its reputation in terms of delivery and results. So that at the end of the thrilling faceoff, both teams conceded one goal each. Here is a brief of the match as it went down at Stanford Bridge, the home base of Chelsea. But first, you wouldn’t want to miss any match during this UEFA season. Not for any reason. But there are situations you might not be able to readily control. Bad timing, no TV subscription, no data, no electricity. Well, you can trust VTpass to fix these problems for you.

With VTpass, you can make payments for your electricity bill, airtime, data, TV subscription very conveniently and quickly. So right from where you are, you can settle these bills in just three easy steps:

Log on

Select

Pay

Now, that you know you can watch your UEFA matches without any glitch, let us see how the Chelsea and Barca faceoff fared

For the first half, Barcelona exhibited quite a lot of talent and stunt so that they went on to dominate possession. However, it was Chelsea that came as close to the net as possible. Eden Hazard made an early attempt when he flashed a shot over the bar. Wilian also hit the bar from outside the box twice in the 34th and 41st minutes consecutively. Barca lost a chance in the 16th minute when their Paulinho headed wide.

The second half nearly continued in the same pattern as the first. But with Chelsea’s well-defensive organisation, Wilian was able to break the sequence and score a goal when he scored from the edge of the box.

At this point, Barcelona was put in a spot and Messi, who soon spotted an error of a poor pass from Christensen Andersen, soon closed up the gap.

All in all, Chelsea played a brilliant game against their contender. And Messi had the good fortune of banking a goal against Chelsea for the first time ever. So yes, it was a well-played match on both sides.

You wouldn’t want to miss any more of this brilliant matches due to hiccups about payments and availability. Why not log on to vtpass.com right now to pay your electricity bills and your GOTV, DSTV and Startimes subscriptions. You can, as well, buy your MTN, GLO, Airtel, 9mobile data and airtime by logging on to vtpass.com or downloading the VTpass app on Google Play Store. With VTpass, you can embrace the spirit of football and let it soar.