Broadcasting
Bring On the CTO: Why Having a Chief Transformation Officer Makes Sense in a Post-COVID World
By Ricardo Vargas Executive Director, Brightline Initiative, PMI
The case for having a Chief Transformation Officer (CTO) has been building for years. Now, as companies undertake the difficult task of rebuilding in the wake of COVID-19, the CTO role is more important than ever.
Ricardo Vargas Executive Director _ Brightline Initiative, PMI
“Life will never be the same after COVID-19.”
You hear that a lot these days. But for many organizations, life will indeed be different in a post-COVID world. Whether they’re restructuring their supply chains, reframing their go-to-market strategies or reconsidering their office space needs, organizations rebuilding in the wake of COVID-19 will need to undergo significant transformation.
To aid in these efforts, it becomes relevant to think about formalizing the role of the Chief Transformation Officer.
The role of Chief Transformation Officer, or CTO, is tailor made for times like these. A CTO can take top management’s transformation vision and make sure it’s properly disseminated throughout the organization.
He or she can translate that vision into concrete goals. Even more important, the CTO can devise and deliver the master plan for achieving these goals—overseeing the multitude of projects that will be needed to turn the organization’s transformation strategies into reality in the post-COVID world.
A Constant State of Transformation
Even before the onset of COVID-19, however, the argument for formalizing the CTO role had been building. That’s because many organizations are already dealing with near constant transformations due to disruptive societal and technology changes. These include growing urbanization, climate change, massive demographic shifts and the revolution caused by advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics and 5G.
There’s also the reality that transformations are costly, time-consuming and difficult. They tax the capabilities of even the most agile organizations. In fact, Forbes estimates that 70 percent of large-scale transformations fail to achieve their goals, resulting in a loss of approximately $900 billion in 2018 alone.
Transformations fail for a variety of reasons. Executives we spoke to as part of a 2020 Brightline study, titled Mastering Strategy Implementation in Transformative Times , cited such challenges as limited resources, insufficient technology, skill gaps among internal talent and a lack of processes for guiding strategy.
This same research—among 1,000+ C-level executives from around the world—also provides supporting evidence for the CTO role. Indeed, one of the key variables contributing to the success of a strategic transformation is strong leadership. Brightline’s years of experience in researching strategic implementation suggests that naming a CTO may be the best way of providing that leadership.
Using Standardized Processes
The CTO can serve as a catalyst for formalizing the processes used in transformation initiatives. That’s important because one of the other key variables behind a successful transformation is implementing and adhering to such standardized processes.
The CTO can bring the discipline needed to do so—helping organizations be more adaptable and allowing them to take full advantage of the technology and frameworks they already have.
Finally, having a CTO leads to greater accountability. Investing one person with the responsibility for overseeing a transformation eliminates any potential leadership gaps. It ensures that there will always be one person—the CTO—whose sole priority is the success of the transformation initiative.
Sometimes a black swan event can disrupt a trend that has been gaining momentum. In the case of the CTO role, however, the COVID-19 pandemic should accelerate that momentum. In the post-COVID world, we need to bring on more CTOs to manage the arduous task of re-building our organizations, our economies and our society.
Afia TV & Radio has announced its official entry into the Lagos media market, in its commitment to expanding the broadcaster’s footprint, connecting businesses to audiences across Nigeria, and redefining regional media excellence.
Chief Emeka Mba,
Nnamdi Obanya, general manager of Afia TV & Radio, said there is only one digital satellite and one digital station in the southeastern region of Nigeria, which is Afia.
Obanya, stated that: “We are specialists in developing products. A programme on our channel, ‘How Market’, is where we talk to the people in the market to tell their stories and advertise their products on AFIA.”
According to him, “the market world has changed a lot, as the physical market has become a ware house while people are buying digitally.”
Chief Emeka Mba, founder and CEO, stated: “The parley brought together top media buyers, advertising agencies, and communication professionals for engaging conversations around emerging trends, innovation, and future-forward strategies in media planning and buying. The event also served as a platform for Afia TV and radio to unveil its offerings, platforms, and unique value proposition to Lagos-based stakeholders.”
While noting that they are thrilled to bring Afia’s fresh, original, and regional perspective to Lagos, Mba said, “this parley signals our readiness to collaborate, innovate, and deliver impactful results for our partners through data-driven content and targeted reach especially for brands looking to penetrate the southern Nigerian market.”
Equipped with modern broadcast studios, digital-first production capabilities, and a highly experienced team, Afia TV & Radio is poised to make a bold impression on the Lagos media landscape.
The media brand delivers high-quality programming ranging from news and documentaries to lifestyle, business, culture, and entertainment only in south-east but in Lagos, African and beyond, we want to be chief marketing platform of the eastern region, we are the only 24/7 radio station now in Enugu.
Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has warned disc jockeys (DJs) against publicly playing music without proper authorization or a valid license.
NAN reports that John Asein, NCC director-general, gave the warning in an advisory issued in Abuja.
He said the commission’s attention had been drawn to the growing practice of DJs playing music in public spaces without obtaining copyright licences from their approved collective management organisations (CMOs).
Asein said under sections 9 and 12 of the Copyright Act, 2022, only the owner of copyright in a musical work or sound recording has the exclusive right to reproduce, perform, or communicate it to the public.
The NCC threatened to prosecute defaulters in a case that could lead to a N1 million fine or a 5-year jail term upon conviction.
“Engaging in any of these acts without the owner’s authorisation constitutes an infringement under the Act,” he said.
“Such infringement may constitute a civil wrong or a criminal offence under section 44 (7), punishable upon conviction by a fine of not less than N1 million or imprisonment for a term of not less than five years or to both.”
Asein advised DJs to obtain the necessary licences and pay royalties to the approved CMO before performing music publicly.
The NCC director-general added that the commission will arrest and prosecute anyone found violating the law.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the approved CMO for musical works and sound recordings in Nigeria is the Musical Copyright Society, Nigeria (MCSN),” he said.
“The Commission is aware that the Disc Jockey’s Association of Nigeria (DJAN), as the umbrella body representing DJs in Nigeria, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with MCSN.
“Under the arrangement, DJAN is authorised to work with MCSN to facilitate the payment of royalties by DJs nationwide, based on the tariff that DJAN had negotiated with MCSN.”
Netflix has increased its subscription fees in Nigeria for the third time since 2024, with the Premium Plan rising by 21.43%, from ₦7,000 to ₦8,500 per month.
This marks the streaming platform’s first price adjustment in 2025.
Other subscription tiers have also been affected.
The Standard Plan now costs ₦6,500, up from ₦5,500—a hike of 18.18%.
The Basic Plan has increased from ₦3,500 to ₦4,000, while the Mobile Plan moved from ₦2,200 to ₦2,500, reflecting increases of 14.29% and 13.64% respectively.
The latest adjustment aligns with Netflix’s broader global pricing strategy, which the company has linked to its ongoing investment in content and platform development. In a previous communication to investors, Netflix stated, “As we invest in and improve Netflix, we’ll occasionally ask our members to pay a little extra to reflect those improvements. Which in turn helps drive the positive flywheel of additional investment to further improve and grow our service.”
While the company did not explicitly cite inflation in its most recent update, its website indicates that local economic factors influence its pricing structure.
“Price changes are made to respond to local market changes, such as changes to local taxes or inflation,” the statement read.
The move mirrors similar pricing shifts among other major digital and entertainment services in Nigeria.
Companies including Google, DSTV, GOtv, and Microsoft have also raised subscription rates, attributing their decisions to continued inflationary pressures and a weakening naira.
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