Broadcasting
Digital Migration: Border Towns Risk Frequency Interference
Nigerian towns sharing boundaries with some countries may experience frequency interferences from June following inability of Nigeria to meet next month’s deadline for all analogue broadcast to migrate to digital, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek has learnt.
Nigeria shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. Its coast lies on the Gulf of Guinea in the south and it borders Lake Chad to the northeast.
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has ruled out any deadline extension for countries that will fail to meet the June 17, 2015 to migrate to digital broadcast.
By implication, ITU will stop protecting analogue broadcasting from any interference in countries that have not migrated to digital on June 17.
Worse, the setback will result in the delayed adoption of wireless broadband technology.
In Nigeria, Emeka Mba, director general, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), admitted that the June deadline to switch over from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting is not feasible in the country.
He added that Nigeria will be able to switch over from analogue to digital in the next 18 months.
‘With the pace the commission is going, by December 2016, we should be where we want to be,” he said.
Austin Nwaulune, director, Spectrum Administration, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), stated that in the event that the country fails to migrate from analogue to digital broadcasting by June 17, this year, analogue transmission will not be protected from interference by International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as the protection would have been removed.
Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and chief executive officer, CNSSL, explained that “Only communities in Nigeria sharing border with countries that have migrated to digital broadcasting will be experiencing interference.
The inference is possible if such frequency has been allocated to other uses outside of broadcasting,” he noted.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek gathered that ITU had earlier set June 2013 as deadline for migration but extended it by two years to allow countries that were not ready to prepare themselves.
For countries that have migrated and those still in the process of migrating, the technological change in television viewing is warranting proper explanations to the consumers, who are directly affected by the change. Hence, experts and broadcast regulators globally have continued to raise awareness level such that every consumer is able to know what to do in the new regime.
To pick a digital broadcast signal, one needs to have a digital TV. Digital TV is any TV that has a digital tuner.
However, if one still has an analogue TV, one needs to get a digital receiver in form of a set-top box (also referred to as a decoder). A set-top box is a device which converts the signals from a digital television broadcast into a form which can be viewed on the traditional television set.
Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has announced the postponement of its maiden annual Public Relations, Reputation, Ideas, Concepts and Excellence (PRICE) Awards and Prizes to January 25, 2026.
NIPR
The event, earlier scheduled for December 7, 2025, was deferred to accommodate stakeholders whose observance of Christmas festivities had commenced earlier than expected.
Chairman of the Organising Committee, Mr. Israel Opayemi, urged stakeholders to note the new date and prepare to participate in the ceremony.
He said the awards would motivate professionals, practitioners and scholars, while enhancing Nigeria’s global competitiveness in the public relations ecosystem and strengthening brand equity for all stakeholders.
Opayemi reaffirmed the Committee’s commitment to delivering a best-in-class award administration and ceremony, describing the PRICE Awards as a credible and enduring platform to identify, celebrate and elevate outstanding individuals, campaigns and organisations shaping the public relations landscape across sectors.
The development of the PRICE Awards peaked in September 2025 when the NIPR President and Chairman, Council, Dr. Ike Neliaku, inaugurated a 12-man committee to organise the maiden edition. The inauguration followed the Council’s adoption of the report of a technical team tasked with establishing the awards.
Netflix has announced a landmark agreement to acquire Warner Bros. and HBO Max in a transaction valued at $82.7 billion, a move analysts say will reshape the global entertainment industry.
Netflix
The deal, which includes Warner Bros.’ film and television studios, HBO, HBO Max, and Warner Bros. Games, was unanimously approved by the boards of both companies. Under the terms, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) shareholders will receive $23.25 in cash and $4.50 in Netflix shares for each WBD share.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos described the acquisition as “a defining moment” for the streaming giant, noting that the company intends to maintain Warner Bros.’ current operations while expanding its production capacity.
“By combining Warner Bros.’ incredible library of shows and movies with Netflix’s culture-defining titles, we can give audiences more of what they love and help define the next century of storytelling,” Sarandos said.
The transaction is expected to close within 12 to 18 months, following the planned spin-off of WBD’s TV networks division, Discovery Global, in 2026. Netflix projects annual cost savings of $2–3 billion by the third year after completion and expects the deal to be accretive to earnings per share by year two.
Industry groups, including the Directors Guild of America and Cinema United, have raised concerns about the impact on movie theaters, while regulators are expected to scrutinize the deal over antitrust issues. Netflix has pledged to continue supporting theatrical releases, with Warner Bros.’ cinema commitments running through 2029.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav hailed the agreement, saying it “combines two of the greatest storytelling companies in the world to bring to even more people the entertainment they love.”
Observers note that the acquisition comes 15 years after former Time Warner chief Jeff Bewkes dismissed Netflix as “the Albanian army,” underscoring the dramatic shift in the entertainment landscape.
A major shake‑up rocks viewers and subscribers of DSTV/GOTV as many channels are set to shut down and be removed on January 1, 2026.
The trigger for the upcoming shut‑down is a breakdown in negotiations between the owners of multiple global channels and the pay‑TV operator.
As of December 2025, the deal between Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and DStv/GOtv has expired and the two parties have not reached a renewal agreement.
Without a new carriage/distribution agreement, the channels belonging to WBD risk being pulled off the DStv/GOtv line‑up.
This is the most significant content cutback the service has seen in years.
The affected channels are:
Discovery Channel
TLC
Cartoonito
Cartoon Network
CNN International
Food Network
The Travel Channel
TNT
Investigation Discovery
Real Time
HGTV
Discovery Family
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