Broadcasting
Dangote Renews Sponsorship of Facetime within ‘CNN Marketplace Africa’
Dangote Industries Limited, one of Africa’s largest business conglomerates is deepening its relationship with CNN International by renewing on-air and digital sponsorship of the prestigious ‘Facetime’ segment within ‘CNN Marketplace Africa’.
‘CNN Marketplace Africa’ is a weekly show on CNN International, which offers a unique window into African business. The new edition of the show is hosted by British-Nigerian CNN anchor Zain Asher, who breaks down the economic trends affecting Africa, interviewing business leaders making and shaping the continent.
The ‘Facetime’ element within the programme is a high-profile segment in which a major player from the global business community is interviewed about Africa business matters.
On-air content is complemented by distinctive online editorial at a ‘CNN Marketplace Africa’ microsite, where popular and innovative content is shared across a range of social channels.
Since taking over as full-time host in May 2015, Zain Asher has interviewed esteemed ‘Facetime’ guests including: Patrice Motsepe, founder and Executive Chairman, African Rainbow Minerals; Russell Stokes, CEO, GE Transportation; Kofi Anan, former UN Secretary General; Taleb Rifai, Secretary General, UNWTO and Maria Ramos, CEO, Barclays Africa.
In addition, Dangote Industries Limited is sponsoring a new segment, ‘Africa Now’, to air within ‘The Business View’.
Dangote Industries Limited’s sponsorship of ‘Africa Now’ is aimed at raising the profile of the business across the continent and outside of Africa among CNN’s unrivalled affluent audience.
The campaign spans TV sponsorship, spot advertising and digital components.
‘Africa Now’, examining how business in Africa has an impact beyond the continent, will air as part of CNN’s dedicated month focusing on Africa, a series of special features and programmes about Africa throughout October.
From Monday 5 October, and airing each subsequent Monday throughout October, ‘Africa Now’ will cover topics such as: innovation, workforce trends, education and economics, with a particular emphasis on empowering Africa; growth and development on the continent.
Antonio Canto, Vice President, Advertising Sales, EMEA, CNN International said, “This is an ideal time for Dangote Industries to consolidate its presence on CNN through the renewal of Facetime on ‘CNN Marketplace Africa’ and the launch of ‘Africa Now’. At a time when there is a thirst for content on Africa, the sponsorships reflect Dangote’s role in promoting pan African business and its corporate social responsibility activity through the Dangote Foundation.”
Aliko Dangote, president/chief executive, Dangote Group, said: “The renewal of sponsorship of Facetime within ‘CNN Marketplace Africa’ and the decision to sponsor a new segment ‘Africa Now’ will enable these programmes to continue to showcase the many growth opportunities for anyone willing to do business in Africa. We in Dangote Group, with presence in 16 African countries, have experienced first-hand the benefits and untapped potential in Africa and we are optimistic that through these programmes others will come to experience same. We are convinced that the future of world economic growth is Africa and the partnership with CNN will expand that awareness.”
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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