Broadcasting
Big Brother Returns with ‘Stargame’
Africa’s largest reality show, Big Brother Africa by M-Net, is in its seventh season. The seventh edition to be known as ‘Stargame’ starts on Sunday, May 6 when M-Net opens the doors of Big Brother House to selected housemates from the different parts of the continent. This year, BBA will be live on DStv exclusively for 91 days and it will be 24/7. That is actually no news to ardent followers who have kept faith with the series for six seasons beginning from 2003, the edition won by Zambian Cherise Makubale. “One of the main reasons for the success of Big Brother, in Africa and beyond the continent, is that it creates its own stars from the minute housemates step into the spotlight,” says M-Net Africa Managing Director, Biola Alabi. “The show is built on the idea that, given the chance, anyone can be a star, anyone can find themselves shot to stardom. So this year, we’re honouring this essential element of the show directly in the title, putting the concept of rising stars and dreams of stardom right at the front of what is a challenging, fun, dramatic game.” Three major surprises await BBA followers this season. The first: each contestant must enter with a partner – your best friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, mom, dad, brother, sister, boss, husband, wife, neighbour, hairdresser, anybody! Whao! That, according to M-Net, is called “Double Up”. Mrs Alabi said: “The really big news this season is that entrants must enter as pairs. In the past we’ve seen a natural and continuous cross-over between individuals and their families, their friends. So this year, we decided to include that as part of the game. It will definitely make a dramatic addition to the series so we urge people to enter and experience what will be a uniquely different Big Brother Africa!” The second surprise: an addition of two new participating countries, which are Liberia and Sierra-Leone. M-Net announced that two previous participating countries, Ethiopia and Mozambique will play new part in this year’s edition. Ethiopia, M-Net said, opted out of the show. The reason is not stated. But it can be inferred from the performances of the two housemates – Yacob and Hanni – who represented the country in the previous three editions that Ethiopia featured in. Many analysts of the show felt these two didn’t put up strong performances to clinch the ultimate prize. For Mozambique, M-Net said, there will be a new role. What role this is, M-Net didn’t state yet. Big Brother is full of twists and turns, so viewers can only keep guessing at what awaits them. The third and the biggest surprise: M-Net has increased the prize money from $200,000 to $300,000. In Nigeria, if converted to Naira, this literally equals N50 million. And it is a winner-takes-all! M-Net auditions for BBA7 housemates have kicked off across the continent. Nigeria’s audition held in Lagos on Monday March 5, Tuesday March 6 and Wednesday March 7 at the Protea Leadway Hotel, Maryland. From across the federation, thousands of hopefuls gathered at the audition venue to try their luck. Then the drama this season portends started to play out. In the first instance, one would have concluded that the fact that Nigerian housemates, three times in a row, won the fourth, fifth and sixth editions, and therefore no contestant stands a chance in subsequent editions. But no; Nigerians, of course, older than 21 years, trooped to the venue in their thousands jostling for the slot to represent the country when the show starts in May. Beginning with Kevin Chuwang Pam in 2009; second-time lucky Uti Nwachukwu in 2010, and Karen Igho, a joint-winner in 2011, the show is gradually becoming a Nigeria affair. That was not the drama. The drama played out in the line-up of the people that showed up as partners to compete. Grandmothers came with their nephews, some ladies came with their mothers, boyfriends partnered girlfriends, and a popular act, Trybson (played Dagrin in Ghetto Dreams) came with his manager. There were cases of boyfriends or girlfriends who waited in vain for their partners to show up at the venue and while it was becoming clear their partners were not going to show up, hooked up with other jilted but available partners. One began to wonder how all these elements will play out when the show eventually starts. It was stated in M-Net’s advert for interested participants that entrants for this season, as with previous seasons, must be fun-loving, vocal, creative, original and articulate. In addition to those characteristics, entrants must demonstrate the social flexibility to live in close proximity with others and must be tolerant of views and lifestyle choices other than their own. The piece of information supplied above is vital in the view of previous episodes and encounters with housemates who showed strong objections to the views and behaviour of other housemates leading to altercations and violence, resulting in such housemates’ consequent disqualification; Ugandan Hannington and Tanzanian Lotus in Big Brother All Stars and Big Brother Amplified, respectively. BBA is one show that consciously puts to test housemates’ emotions, attitudes and actions. In playing the game as fairly as they could be, housemates set themselves up for series of intrigues, drama, controversies, conspiracy and the likes, having it at the back of their minds that it’s just a game. It is only when the show is taken seriously beyond the realm of a game that tension is created and clashes occur. In the new edition, viewers must look forward to how the different characters being assembled by M-Net across the continent will accept, tolerate, and cooperate with one another to create an exciting show to last the duration of 91 days. He claimed that skeletal services had “eventually led to the avoidable access of armed robbers to the banking premises through bank staff private entrance. “No bank in Ijebu land should render skeletal services to customers henceforth until the forum’s demands on security are fully met by the state government.” “Staff should move away from banks’ premises till further notice. No loading of ATM should be carried out by any bank. Any robbery attack arising as a result of culpability of any bank shall be viewed as connivance and collaboration with the robbers,” he warned. Olusoga warned that the forum would “not defend or issue any statement to absolve any bank official who out of his carelessness allows his bank to be robbed through skeletal services rendered.” On the assurances by the state government that five APCs would arrive the state by Friday, he said the bankers would call off the action once the armoured vehicles were physically on ground. Corroborating, Tunde Onadeko, chairman, Bankers’ Forum in Sagamu said all banks in the axis have also been directed to shut operations. “We are together in this agitation. Whatever you hear from the Ijebu Bankers’ Forum is our position,” Onadeko said. Meanwhile, Bola Onifade, state chairman of the forum said banks in Abeokuta would open for normal business and denied insinuations that the state government pressured him to back out of the action.
Federal government, yesterday, said that it will now launch the so-called FreeTV, with over 100 channels for news, sports, education, entertainment and children’s programming in multiple Nigerian languages on June 17.
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) had initially scheduled for May 15 for the launch.
But the new date was announced by Mohammed Idris, minister of Information and National Orientation, on Wednesday during a facility tour of NIGCOMSAT, alongside Dr Charles Ebuebu, director general of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and other stakeholders.
Idris said the long-awaited migration from analogue to digital broadcasting had finally become a reality after years of failed attempts and delays, describing the project as a major breakthrough for Nigeria’s broadcasting industry.
“I have been grappling with this idea of the DSO for many years. Moving our transmissions from analogue to digital has now happened and is ready to be commissioned by June 17,” the minister said.
He revealed that several channels had already been bundled onto the platform, adding that the digital transition would transform broadcasting, advertising and television consumption across Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa.
According to him, the new platform introduces scientific audience measurement tools capable of tracking viewership patterns in real time, thereby giving advertisers reliable data for targeted campaigns.
“Now science is at play. If you are viewing a station, we know who is watching what and how many people are watching. Advertisers can now take informed decisions about the kind of programming Nigerians want to watch across all demographics,” Idris stated.
The minister said the collaboration between NIGCOMSAT, NBC, the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Information had made the digital transition possible, while commending President Bola Tinubu for providing the necessary support and resources.
He described previous DSO efforts as limited and expensive due to encrypted set-top boxes but noted that the new system would be free and accessible to millions of Nigerians.
“In the past, the boxes were encrypted and costly. Now this is free. Government has taken off some of those costs on behalf of Nigerians,” he said.
Idris stressed that unlike earlier pilot phases restricted to a few cities, the new digital platform would have nationwide and regional reach through NIGCOMSAT’s satellite infrastructure.
“Everybody can now watch whatever he wants in real time and painlessly. Free TV everywhere for everybody”, he declared.
The minister also hinted that the platform would challenge the dominance of existing pay-TV operators by offering Nigerians wider viewing options at no cost.
“I don’t want to always use the word ‘substitute’, but this offers opportunities you didn’t get before. You no longer have that monopoly again. Competition is going to set in. Content will grow and viewership will grow,” he said.
He added that the platform would initially launch in standard definition, SD, before quickly transitioning to high definition, HD, bringing Nigerian broadcasting in line with global standards.
“Soon after the launch, we are moving to HD. Nigeria will now compete globally. What you watch here is what you get anywhere,” Idris said.
The minister further disclosed that the service was already available via mobile application and had successfully undergone testing ahead of the official unveiling.
Also speaking during the tour, managing director and chief executive officer of NIGCOMSAT, described the collaboration between NIGCOMSAT and NBC as a strategic partnership that has strengthened service delivery and raised operational standards within Nigeria’s digital broadcasting ecosystem.
According to her, ongoing investments and satellite expansion plans under the current administration will guarantee reliable and continuous service delivery.
“The work has only just started. The work has only just begun,” she said.
Among those who accompanied the Honourable Minister on the tour were Salihu Abdullahi Dembos, director-general, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA); Jibrin Baba Ndace, director-general, Voice of Nigeria (VON); Mohammed Bulama, director-general, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN); and Lanre Issa-Onilu, director-general, National Orientation Agency (NOA), alongside other senior government officials and dignitaries.
Metro Digital Limited, a licenced Indigenous broadcasting organisation, has accused Multichoice, pay television company, of refusing to obey judgements emanating from Courts in Nigeria.
It said the latest of such judgements is the one that was delivered by Justice Chinelo Odili of Rivers State High Court on May 4, 2026 in Suit No. PHC/3943/FHR/2025.
Dr. Paul Osuji, operations manager of Metro Digital, at a press conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State,
said the suit was filed by the organisation and two others against Multichoice and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Osuji stated that Justice Odili has in the judgement described the arrest of a staff member of the company and the carting away of it’s properties and disruption of it’s broadcasting business by the EFCC over a civil dispute of copyrighy as unlawful and violations of the applicants’ rights.
The manager recalled that in October 2025, Multichoice instigated the EFCC to read their office in Port Harcourt, arrested a staff of the company and staff of another company, while the suit was still pending.
“On October 16, 2025, the premises of Metro Digital Limited, a licenced indigenous broadcasting organisation was raided by the Nigerian anti-graft agency, EFCC, instigated by Multichoice Nigeria, purportedly acting on a preservation order made by the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt over the sub licensing of broadcasting content right.
“The preservation order came from a civil dispute already adjudicated by the Court of Appeal No. CA/CS/188/2021 – Multichoice Vs Metro Digital Limited and 20 others, which is a subject of a pending appeal -No. SC/CV/1248/2022 -Multichoice and 20 others before the Supreme Court.
“Instructively, while suit No. PHC/ 3943/ FHR/2025 was still pending, Metro Digital Limited filed an application to set aside the said preservation orders of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt and presided over by Hon. Justice A.T Mohammed.
“In his ruling delivered on December 10, 2025, set aside the preservation orders and it’s legal execution on Metro Digital Limited. The court also ordered EFCC to return unconditionally all the properties and records of Metro Digital Limited, illegally and unlawfully carted away during the raid but the agency has till today not obeyed those orders of the Court,” he said.
Metro Digital Limited is known for operating SLTV, a direct-to-home satellite television service launched to provide affordable, locally-owned alternatives to international pay TV
A Federal High Court in Lagos has restrained the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) from sanctioning or punishing broadcast stations and presenters over the expression of personal opinions, alleged bullying of guests, or failure to maintain neutrality on air.
NBC
Justice Daniel Osiagor granted the interim injunction following an ex parte application filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE).
The court specifically restrained the NBC, its officers, agents and affiliated persons from enforcing its recently issued “Formal Notice” or imposing sanctions, fines or penalties on broadcasters based on provisions of the 6th Edition of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
SERAP and NGE had approached the court to challenge what they described as an arbitrary and unlawful move by the commission to punish broadcasters for allegedly expressing personal opinions as facts, bullying or intimidating guests, or failing to maintain neutrality during programmes.
The groups also asked the court to determine whether the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code relied upon by NBC were inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.
The suit followed an April statement by the NBC in which it raised concerns over what it described as increasing violations of the broadcasting code across news, current affairs and political programmes.
The commission had warned that presenters who expressed personal opinions as facts or bullied guests during live broadcasts would be sanctioned.
However, Justice Osiagor, in his ruling, held that pending the hearing of the substantive matter, the commission must refrain from using the formal notice to threaten, sanction or punish broadcast organisations and on-air personalities under the contested code provisions.
The matter was adjourned until June 1, 2026, for hearing of the motion on notice.
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