Broadcasting
BBA5: Yummy Reward For Barnmates
After winning their Task Wager, the Barnmates were thrilled when Biggie reveals a delicious surprise awaiting them in the Diary Room.
Code’s visitor, Eddie, went first and set the bar, hitting most of the black and white pins, showing the Barnmates how easy and fun the day’s Arena Task was.
Despite this, Lerato insisted she was not going down the raised ramp in the cart, stating how she fell off the Segway." I could see the ground on the Segway. Imagine me flying in the air with this cart thing," she said.
Juliette was encouraged by her fellow Barnmates and by Hannington in particular, who told her not to pull a Yacob by quitting. This seemed to do the trick because she decided to go up on the cart, which they called Juliette the cow’s husband.
Tatiana also looked like she was hesitant to go down the ramp and screamed while the cart hurtled down, towards the pins. "You mother flippin," she screamed.
This seemed to be contagious because the second time Lerato went on the cart, she made a face and screamed "Bombo!" The boys seemed very comfortable with this particular Arena Task but that was not enough, since Code was the first to be booted out.
He was followed to the sidelines by Lerato, who did not seem too stressed by being ousted. Tatiana was the first to hit all ten pins and Sheila looked like she would follow suite. The top two was eventually made up of Tatiana and Hannington.
Mwisho was called to the Diary Room. Thinking it was a normal Diary Session, he was surprised to find a white envelope with his daughter Kelly’s most recent pictures.
He walked back to the lawn where the other Housemates were seated, beaming with pride. They asked him what he had in his hands and he fished out the pictures. Everyone quickly surrounded him, while he smiled quietly.
"Aaw, she is so cute! Kelly has your eyes," Meryl said. Kaone and Jen could not stop raving about how beautiful she is and how she looked like an Ethiopian or Somalian supermodel. Jen giggled and told Uti "At least you have cats to keep you company."
Munya told Mwisho how he wanted to start negotiating on behalf of his son for Kelly’s hand in marriage.
Meryl was then called to the Diary Room as well and received her baby, Monkey’s pictures as well. She was excited to see a bit of Monkey’s first tooth and told her fellow Housemates how much better she feels after seeing Monkeys photo’s.
Kaone encouraged Mwisho and Meryl to make their own, stating how beautiful their babies would be. "We would call them the Big Brother Small Stars," he said, inciting laughter all round.
Munya was next in the Diary Room, but his son’s pictures had unfortunately not come yet. He looked really disappointed when Biggie told him it was his Secret Session, where he was to pick five questions to ask Uti, in order to crack his secret.
Biggie assured him however, that pictures would come soon, which seemed to make him relax a little.
Meanwhile, Big Brother provided the Housemates with caterpillar suites, in the form of cling wrap, which will help them with the transformation process. As per the Task requirements, the Head of House incumbents are required to break free from their caterpillar suites and will then fly across the line on the other side of the garden.
The first Housemate to fly like a butterfly, over the finish line will be the Head of House next week. As soon as the Housemates gathered in the garden, they were wrapped in cling wrap, which would serve as their cocoon.
Definitely not the kind to keep anything to themselves, the All Stars had a lot to say regarding their Task.
It did not seem too easy for any of the Housemates to peel the sticky cling wrap off their bodies, but the possibility of being Head of House seemed to spur them on.
Uti was the first to tear the plastic off his body even though in the far end of the garden, Mwisho looked like he would get out first. Mwisho’s cling wrap got stuck around his waist and he seemed to struggle for a bit.
Munya, on the other hand, managed to free himself around the same time Uti did, but it would seem Uti was too fast for him. Uti flew over the finish line like a true butterfly and jumped up and down in excitement. None of the girls managed to even lift themselves from the ground and were still sprawled on the floor, with not even so much as a tear on their cling wrap.
Munya and Kaone did not seem too impressed and complained that Uti’s hands were outside the cling wrap. "Your hands were outside," Munya said. Paloma and Jen could be heard complaining too in the background.
Uti told them that was nonsense and mentioned how he had a lot of practice with the bandage on his arm. "It becomes easier to learn how to untangle yourself when you wear a bandage like the one I have on my wrist," he said.
The gang then seemed to accept Uti’s win, and resigned themselves to being in the charges of President Uti, as he now wants to be called. "I did this for Sheila," he said, as his disappointed fellow Housemates looked on.
Uti then told them how much of an autocratic dictator he intends to be. "If you try to kiss my butt, I will kill you," he said in jest.
Canal+ is to cut jobs at MultiChoice as part of a sweeping restructuring plan aimed at stabilising the African pay-TV operator, following years of operational and financial pressure.
The move comes alongside a planned $115 million capital injection, underscoring the urgency of efforts to revive the business after the French media group took control.
The planned layoffs are expected to form a core element of a broader cost-cutting and efficiency drive, as Canal+ seeks to streamline MultiChoice’s operations and improve profitability.
The restructuring signals a shift toward leaner operations, with a focus on eliminating redundancies and optimising the company’s cost base.
MultiChoice has struggled in recent years with declining subscriber numbers across key African markets, weighed down by macroeconomic pressures, currency volatility, and changing consumer behaviour.
The rise of global streaming platforms has intensified competition, chipping away at the company’s traditional pay-TV dominance.
Canal+’s intervention marks a pivotal moment for MultiChoice, reflecting a more aggressive approach to repositioning the business.
By combining fresh capital with structural reforms, the new owners are aiming to both stabilise short-term performance and lay the groundwork for longer-term growth.
The $115 million injection is expected to provide immediate financial relief, supporting operations and potential strategic initiatives.
However, the accompanying job cuts highlight the depth of the challenges facing the company and the scale of transformation required to restore competitiveness.
Nigeria has ranked first globally in the ownership of the two largest stablecoins, Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC), reflecting the country’s growing reliance on dollar-linked digital assets.
USDT, USDC
Stablecoins such as USDT and USDC are designed to maintain a fixed value against the U.S. dollar, allowing users to store money digitally while avoiding the price volatility associated with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
According to the 2026 Stablecoin Utility Report released by BVNK, about 59 percent of Nigerian crypto users hold USDT, while 48 percent own USDC, giving the country the highest combined ownership rate among all nations surveyed.
The report placed Nigeria ahead of several major economies, including Australia and India, highlighting the country’s strong adoption of dollar-denominated digital assets. Australia ranked second with 34 percent USDT ownership and 29 percent USDC, while India placed third with 30 percent USDT and 27 percent USDC holdings.
The study also examined adoption levels across other regions. Countries such as Colombia and Singapore showed strong usage of both stablecoins, while adoption levels were also notable in South Africa and the United States.
Other markets included in the analysis were Philippines, Thailand and Argentina, where stablecoin ownership has also increased significantly. Among European economies, the report said France and Germany showed moderate levels of adoption, while Latin American markets such as Mexico and Brazil recorded smaller but growing usage rates.
The United Kingdom also appeared in the ranking with modest levels of stablecoin ownership. The report noted that USDT ownership exceeds USDC in many countries, including Nigeria, Australia, India, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Argentina and France.
However, USDC is often viewed as a more compliance-focused stablecoin because of its stronger transparency and regulatory alignment. In some markets, including South Africa, Colombia, Germany and Brazil, the report found that USDC adoption slightly exceeds USDT.
More broadly, the data suggests that stablecoin adoption is being driven largely by emerging economies rather than advanced financial markets. According to the report, countries such as Nigeria, Argentina and the Philippines are among the biggest users of stablecoins, where people increasingly rely on dollar-pegged digital assets to protect savings from currency volatility and facilitate cross-border payments.
Spotify has unveiled Nigeria-specific data from its annual Loud & Clear report, highlighting how Nigerian artists generated more than ₦60 billion in revenue from the platform alone last year, amid explosive growth in streams, local consumption, and global discovery.
The report, which analyzes millions of data points to illuminate music streaming economics, shows Nigerian artists’ revenue surged over 140% in the past two years.
This boom stems from rising global appeal and stronger domestic engagement, with 30.3 billion streams and 1.6 billion listening hours on Spotify in 2025. First-time discoveries of Nigerian music hit 1.3 billion, up 26% from 2024.
Locally, Nigerian tracks dominated Spotify Nigeria’s Daily Top 50, accounting for over 80% of features, while consumption of homegrown artists jumped 170% year-on-year.
“Nigeria’s music scene thrives on creativity, innovation, and global influence,” said Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Spotify’s Managing Director for Africa. “Loud & Clear spotlights how artists are forging sustainable careers and deepening local ties.”
Key highlights include:
55% year-on-year growth in local streams for Nigerian female artists.
75% surge in streams for independent Nigerian artists.
Independents and indie labels earning 58% of all royalties from Nigerian artists on Spotify.
Spotify’s editorial playlists featured nearly 2,000 Nigerian artists in 2025, boosting visibility. Nigerian music appeared in 320 million global user playlists and over 12 million in Nigeria, totaling more than 60 million playlists worldwide.
The report also notes evolving tastes, with top-growing genres in Nigeria over five years including pop urbaine, alternative pop, anime, emo, and drill.
For full details, visit spotify.com/loudandclear.
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