Broadcasting
Airtel, TRACE Roll out Nigeria’s Mobile Device Song Contest
Airtel Nigeria, leading Telecom service providerin collaboration with international music video channel, TRACE (DSTV Channel 325) has announced the roll out of the mobile device song contest tagged ‘Airtel Trace Music Star’, following the unveil of 5678, the special short code for the competition.
Airtel Trace Music Star’ is a mobile song contest which allows contestants to audition right from their phones to earn a chance of becoming the next big music star in Nigeria and Africa in addition to being mentored by global superstar, Akon.
The contestants will be aided by an interactive voice prompt, loaded with bi-lingual functionality in English and Pidgin which will assist in eliminating language barriers and enable youths from across Nigeria to participate in the competition.
Speaking on the initiative, Maurice Newa, chief commercial officer, noted that Airtel’s aim of initiating the platform is to empower Nigerian youths by giving them opportunities to develop their innate skills, achieve their dreams and possibly become the next biggest stars. In his words:
“Airtel is delighted to be associated with TRACE in providing excitement and entertainment opportunities for our teeming customers and music lovers to showcase their talents to Nigeria and the rest of Africa. This initiative is geared towards supporting and nurturing the potentials of Nigerian youths. The uniqueness of this initiative is that contestants are able to express their singing talent through their mobile phones from the comfort of any location they choose’, he said.
To participate in the competition, contestants will need to call 5678 with their Airtel phones and record their songs. The platform also provides an option to rehearse on a phone karaoke that scores the performance.
Once the recordings are done, the auditioning will be carried out by a select group of judges comprising A-list music acts and industry experts. The auditioning sessions for this competition will run for eight weeks after which the organizers will stop taking entries.
Voting will begin immediately after the first set of auditions and will happen for a total of twelve weeks before the final winner is selected. The public will also be able to vote for their favorite contestants whose songs will be selected for the next round. There will be weekly prizes for various categories.
The competition is also taking place across 12 other countries where Airtel has presence; Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda Zambia, Madagascar, Malawi, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, The Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon.
The best singing talent in each country will be identified, rewarded and put in competition with the best singing talents of other participating countries to run for the Title of best African Music Talent.
The overall grand prize comprises of a recording deal with Kon Live, a distributed label through Universal Music Group and an intense mentorship programme with Akon in the United States of America.
In his statement, Akon expressed pleasure in joining Airtel and TRACE to develop innovative ways of identifying and nurturing dynamic music talent throughout the continent.
The intersection between technology and artist development is elevated by the presence of this ground-breaking music competition concept.”
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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