Broadcasting
Content piracy: A complex web of causes
By Frikkie Jonker, director of broadcast cybersecurity and anti-piracy at Irdeto, a partner of Multichoice Africa.
Content piracy is acknowledged as having enormously negative social impacts. It is a type of global organised crime that undermines the creative sector. However, what is not often discussed is what drives content piracy. What leads people to steal content?
Frikkie Jonker
Unfortunately, the African continent is something of a global dumping ground for inferior products. This is practised in the area of legitimate trade, but also in the criminal underworld. Outdated regulations, inefficient law enforcement, bribery and corruption all play a role in this.
Despite this, African authorities are doing a heroic job fighting cybercrime and content piracy. There have been huge successes in the prosecution of content piracy operations.
Criminal risk assessments
To understand why Africa becomes a target for piracy, it is useful to look at things from the perspective of a global criminal syndicate. They will often follow the path of least resistance – and for better or worse, Africa is attractive territory.
When it comes to content piracy, Africa has low barriers to entry, and an almost limitless demand for cheap content.
In terms of penetration success – circumventing cybersecurity measures – they may achieve a success rate of 70%, which compares favourably with other territories. This – coupled with Africa’s billion-strong population – is a key supply driver of content piracy.
From the demand side, a potential user of content piracy will do a similar assessment. There would be the risk of possible prosecution. Of being named and shamed. A risk of downloading viruses and malware onto their devices… However, despite all of this, they may choose to take that risk.
There may be a sense that content piracy is a relatively minor crime, compared to crimes such as murder, rape and grand corruption. In reality, though, content piracy is not a minor crime.
Changing attitudes
Unfortunately, where there are few consequences, the barriers to using stolen content are so much lower.
Changing people’s attitude to the crime of content piracy has to be an industry-wide campaign. The creative industry must unite and address the issue collectively – as they have done through pan-African initiatives like Partners Against Piracy.
Government attitudes, too, are critically important. Where a government sees content piracy as an insignificant issue, they are allowing the sabotage of their own country’s creative and entertainment sector.
But there are further impacts. When leading content businesses consider entering the African market, they need the reassurance that their content rights will be protected. Where a country is unable to provide such guarantees, the investments do not materialise.
Hi-tech enforcement
Fortunately, thanks to recent advances in AI, automation, watermarking and digital tracing capabilities, it is now possible to track down and prosecute consumers of pirated content rapidly, accurately and at scale.
In the UK, for example, police recently arrested as many as 2 000 people who were illegally viewing streams of English Premier League football matches. Similar cases are being pursued in Africa.
Piracy is often a multi-level operation, with global and regional headquarters, as well as regional resellers. It is now also possible for content owners and police to identify criminals at every level of these operations, as well as those who consume pirated content.
Economic impacts
Many people believe they simply cannot afford to pay for content. Entertainment often takes a back seat behind the need to put food on the table.
To some extent, premium content is a luxury, so one can understand this perception. However, pricing innovation by content platforms has led to entertainment packages at almost every price point. Financial difficulty is no longer an excuse for content piracy.
Prosecuting content piracy is not simply a harsh clampdown that spoils everyone’s fun. The war on content piracy has very real benefits – for everyone.
It protects the livelihoods of creators, producers and rightsholders, ensuring that there can be more content in the future.
A content sector such as pay-TV has extremely tight margins. Up to 80% of revenue generated goes into producing and securing content. Given these margins, any content theft threatens the viability of the entire industry.
Major productions across Africa – in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and many other countries – sustain thousands of jobs – in production, performance, set and costume design, all the way through to catering, transport and accommodation. The war on piracy is a war to protect these jobs.
In the case of sports events, it is largely the legitimate allocation of broadcast rights that ensures modern professional sport can exist in the first place.
Another benefit of stopping piracy is that it preserves the support ecosystem that maintains trust in content platforms and their ongoing viability. In the legal economy, people invest in people – in their entertainment, their livelihoods and their peace of mind. Enriching their lives. By subscribing to legal content, legal users support this ecosystem.
The reasons for content piracy are complex. But the benefits of a creative economy free of piracy are plain to see. Content entertains, it nurtures, it captures society’s imagination. It helps build local culture. Hence the battle against piracy: to preserve and grow this remarkable industry.
Nigerian singer, songwriter, and producer CKay has officially surpassed one billion streams on Spotify with his breakout hit Love Nwantiti, making him one of the few African artists to reach this milestone and the first Nigerian solo act to do so.
Ckay
The rise of the emotional Afrobeats anthem
Originally an early hit when it dropped in 2019, “Love Nwantiti” (released on CKay’s EP – CKay the First) began as a slow-burn masterpiece that captured a global audience. The song broke out by blending the grooving rhythm of Afrobeats with an emotional feeling and an entrancing melody, a sound CKay himself pioneered and coined as “Emo-Afrobeats,” fusing African rhythms with raw, heartfelt emotion.
The song, which translates to “sweet gentle love” in the Igbo language, communicates an intense desire for a love interest. Its journey from a homegrown Nigerian track to a cultural sensation fueled by countless dance challenges, social virality, and international remixes is proof of the widespread power of its sound. The song remains a fixture on playlists globally, with over 3.9 million playlist adds and sustained streaming momentum across continents.
A solo milestone, a global legacy
Love Nwantiti’s sustained global appeal is undeniable: in the last 28 days alone, listeners from the United States , India,, Indonesia, Brazil , and the United Kingdom continue to press play, proof of the track’s staying power well beyond its viral peak.
This achievement places CKay in an elite group of African artists with billion-stream records on Spotify, which includes hits driven by collaborations with Nigerian artists, such as Drake’s One Dance (featuring Wizkid and Kyla), Future’s Wait For U (featuring Drake and Tems), and Rema’s Calm Down (featuring Selena Gomez), and solo song Water, by Tyla.
CKay achieved this historic mark with a solo, non-collaborative lead release by a Nigerian artist. This distinction highlights his unique vision and singular impact as both a writer and performer, making him a true torchbearer for the new generation of African music talent.
“Love Nwantiti” is more than a viral hit; it is a cultural reset. Demonstrating the rich storytelling and emotional depth of his sound, CKay didn’t just break borders, he built a powerful bridge for the global crossover of authentic African music, proving its resonance on the global stage.
CKay’s success is a signal for the future of African music on the global stage. Let us know if you’d like more on CKay’s journey or the song’s global streaming story.
Broadcasting
Global South Alliance Launches $72,000 Datafication and Democracy Fund to Support 2026 Research Projects
The Global South Alliance, a coalition of 26 digital rights organizations, launched today the second edition of the “Datafication and Democracy Fund” on December 9.
Global South Alliance
The Fund will provide more US$ 72,000 to support research and advocacy projects focused on datafication and democracy to be implemented in 2026.
The Datafication and Democracy Fund was launched during the fourth edition of the Data Privacy Global Conference, organized in São Paulo, Brazil. The Global South Alliance is jointly managed by Data Privacy Brasil, Aapti Institute, and Paradigm Initiative.
The members are Asociación por los Derechos Civiles, Bolo Bhi, Center for Communication and Governance, CIPESA, Derechos Digitales, Digital Rights Foundation, Dukingire Isi Yacu, Internet Bolivia, Pollicy, Research ICT Africa, Fundación Multitudes, InternetLab, Thraets, Jokkolabs Banjul, Aláfia Lab, Centre for Policy Alternatives, KICTANET, Tech Global Institute, Freedom Forum, TEDIC, Digital Access, Center for AI and Tech Innovation for Democracy and Masaar.
The call for proposals is open to non-profit, non-governmental organizations based in the Global South working on digital rights and related public policy issues. Previously supported organizations have addressed topics such as online child protection, data governance in electoral processes, biometric technologies in stadiums and large events, mandatory biometric data collection of migrants, and discriminatory surveillance and datafication practices.
According to the launch announcement, the Datafication and Democracy Fund “aims to finance research and public policy analysis projects that address critical questions arising from the impact of datafication on democracy.” The Alliance emphasizes that “datafication is a deep and complex process of social transformation: it shapes the provision of public services mediated by information technologies, the emergence of digital public infrastructures, the data-driven nature of elections, the reconfiguration of markets and platforms, and many aspects of civic life. Beyond deliberative processes and elections, datafication exacerbates democratic challenges such as transparency, due process, and respect for citizens’ autonomy.”
Selected applicants will receive grants of up to US$ 8,000 to support their research projects. Depending on the proposals submitted, between 8 and 12 projects will be funded. All funded projects must be carried out during 2026.
Applicants are required to submit:
A one-page cover letter outlining the organization’s background, experience, and motivation for participating in the research program;
A proposal of up to five pages detailing the topic, scope, methodology, expected results, and relevance of the project to digital rights and democracy in the Global South;
A detailed budget, not exceeding US$ 8,000, specifying how resources will be allocated across the proposed project’s components.
Applications must be submitted in English by January 30th 2026, through the designated online form.
South Africa’s leading pay-TV operator, Multichoice, owner of DStv and Showmax, will officially delist from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) this week following its acquisition by French media giant Canal+.
DStv
The delisting, scheduled to take effect on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, also applies to Multichoice’s ordinary shares on the A2X Markets.
The move comes after Canal+ completed a Squeeze-Out of remaining shareholders, securing full ownership of the company after nearly two years of acquisition efforts.
According to the company, the delisting remains subject to regulatory approvals from the JSE, the A2X, and the South African Reserve Bank. Canal+ has pledged to comply with conditions set by South Africa’s competition authorities and intends to proceed with a secondary inward listing on the JSE within nine months of the delisting.
Founded in 1985 with the launch of M-Net, Multichoice has been a household name across Africa for four decades. It introduced DStv in 1995, expanded into multiple African markets, and launched its streaming platform, Showmax, in 2015.
In 2019, Multichoice was spun out of Naspers, South Africa’s most valuable company, and later began secondary trading on A2X in 2020.
The acquisition by Canal+ marks a significant shift in South Africa’s media landscape. Local investors will no longer be able to hold direct stakes in Multichoice, but will only gain indirect exposure once Canal+ completes its planned inward listing.
Industry analysts say the takeover underscores the growing consolidation in global media markets, with Canal+ strengthening its footprint across Africa through Multichoice’s extensive subscriber base and sports broadcasting rights via Supersport.
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