Broadcasting
CNN Marketplace: Filmmaker Chris Ihidero Extols Benefits of Streaming Giants on Nollywood
Chris Ihidero, Nollywood filmmaker says that the Nigerian film industry has the capacity to produce great original content of global quality if the industry is adequately funded.
Chris Ihidero, Veteran Nollywood filmmaker
Ihidero made this argument on the popular CNN special, MarketPlace Africa while discussing the recent attention the industry is enjoying from global players, especially giants like Netflix, Showmax, and Canal+.
Currently in its seventh season, Marketplace Africa is a CNN Special covering the macro business trends impacting the region and profiling the continent’s key industries and corporations.
‘‘Nollywood has been at the forefront of showcasing Africa in a certain way over the years. What’s beginning to happen is a recognition of Nollywood’s possibilities, Ihidero said.”
“What the partnerships with international streaming services like Netflix have done is to first show value. That association immediately ascribes quality to you and raises your value proposition. It’s removing all the shackles around creativity.”
Analysis from Digital TV Research projects that global streaming revenue will likely rise over the next four years to one hundred billion dollars.
For Ihidero and his colleagues in the industry, this presents a unique opportunity to show what they are capable of.
Ihidero, who recently produced Nigeria’s first feature-length animated movie, ‘Lady Buckit and the Motley Mopsters’ also said he “feels like films such as ‘Lady Buckit and the Motley Mopsters’ tell a different story about Nollywood.
It talks about the possibilities where talent is involved. It also talks about the possibilities where adequate funding is involved. Nollywood can do anything. You just have to fund it right.”
Ihidero is a Nollywood veteran with over two decades of experience in the film industry.
He has been a theatre artiste, broadcaster, newspaper columnist, magazine editor and university lecturer.
He made a switch to film in 2007 when he joined Amaka Igwe Studios as a trainee director and since then, has directed over 100 hours of TV drama and has written or consulted on over 1000 episodes of TV dramatic content, including Fuji House of Commotion and Africa Magic’s HUSH.
He also produced MTV Shuga Naija Series 3 in 2015 and Series 4 in 2017. Through his Chris Ihidero’s StoryStory project, done in honour of his late teacher, Amaka Igwe, Chris has trained over 200 Nigerian storytellers for free.
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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