Broadcasting
Akpabio, Abbas, Nweke, Confirm Attendance for public presentation of Omoniyi Ibietan’s book on Cyber Politics
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; a former Minister of Information and Communication, Frank Nweke Jr., are among the dignitaries expected at the Tuesday, July 25 public presentation of a book written by Omoniyi Ibietan, the head of media relations at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
While Mr Akpabio will serve as the special guest of honour at the event scheduled for the main auditorium of the Communications and Digital Economy Complex, Mbora District, Abuja, Mr Abbas will attend the ceremony as the guest of honour.
Mr Nweke, the Enugu State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the last elections, will chair the event. The book’s author was Mr Nweke’s special assistant on media during his ministerial term.
Among several other dignitaries expected at the event are the immediate past Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo (rtd); the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman; the founder of Agora Policy Think Tank and former Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Waziri Adio; the Executive Director, Centre for Democracy and Development, Idayat Hassan; the Chief Executive Officer, Premium Times Group, Dapo Olorunyomi; the Deputy Dean, School of Postgraduate School, Baze University, Prof Abiodun Adeniyi; and the Executive Director, CARE International, Dr Hussaini Abdu.
Published by Premium Times Books, the publishing arm of the Premium Times Group, the book, “Cyber Politics: Social Media, Social Demography and Voting Behaviour in Nigeria”, has been described as a classic offering with significant implications for political communication scholarship and practice.
The book has been adjudged to have an interesting universe that uses the Nigerian election to determine how social media communication influences a cocktail of “five electoral totems: voting behaviour, the social and demographic correlation, comparative social media network with respect to the effectiveness of influences, motivation of social media influencers, and stimulus-response likely to enhance the quality of electoral democracy.”
Umar Danbatta, a professor and executive vice chairman and chief executive officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission, where the author works, will present the book to the public. Azubuike Ishiekwene, renowned journalist, writer and editor-in-chief of Leadership Newspaper, will review the 460-page book, spread over 12 chapters.
The event will also feature a panel discussion to dissect the interface of politics and social technology, how they shaped the last two general elections in Nigeria, and the possible implications of cyber politics in future elections.
The book has been available in hardback and softback versions in bookstores across the country since 12 June 2023. The electronic copies of the book can also be purchased on online platforms, including Amazon.
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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