Broadcasting
FITC Advocates Funding Intervention for Movie Industry
The Financial Institutions Training Centre has urged financial institutions in the country to create funding interventions for Nollywood to enable it to be more productive and have a greater impact on the economy.
Chizor Malize, the FITC Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, stated this at the fifth edition of the annual seminar and Short Film Screening of Nollywood Creative Mind forum held in Lagos recently.
While speaking during her keynote address themed, ‘Finding Common Grounds for Collaboration Between the Film Industry and Financial Institutions,’ she emphasised the noteworthy achievements recorded by the industry.
According to her despite the potential of the Nollywood industry, the sector remains underfunded. She added that the industry’s frequent funding challenges have forced some filmmakers to seek external support and assistance, which have stringent requirements attached to them.
She said, “Just like Sports, Nollywood is too strategic, an economic dynamic to be left to the vagaries of government-inspired policy intervention alone.
“It requires a more rigorous and robust funding intervention that will become more amenable to a private sector-driven management dynamic, than what the solely government-driven control can yield.”
Malize noted that a handshake between the Nollywood industry and the financial sector could only lead to prosperity. She explained that there are common grounds that can be reached between the Nollywood Industry and the nation’s financial services sector.
She added, “This will invariably increase the overall Gross Domestic Product of Nigeria thus stimulating growth and development and better position the country as a powerhouse in Movie production.”
The President, Nollywood Creative Mind Forum, Mrs Ijeoma Richards, said the event was an annual gathering of professionals within the Nollywood industry aimed at identifying and harnessing opportunities, providing mentorship, and creating a viable platform for artists to collaborate.
She highlighted that professionals from the financial sector and the media were invited to see how both sectors can collaborate with Nollywood to identify new windows of openings and innovation to help develop the industry beyond where it is.
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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