Broadcasting
Glo, MTN Pay Musicians N9Bn from Caller Tunes
MTN Nigeria and Globacom, two biggest mobile telecommunication operators in the country, generated over N9 billion for the local music industry in 2014 through the monetisation of caller tunes, according to the Punch.
While MTN generated over N5bn for the Nigerian musical artistes who sell their contents as caller tunes on its platform, Globacom is said to have brought in about N4bn.
The money generated for the industry was in form of royalties paid to music artistes who served or are still serving as brand ambassadors to the two telecoms companies in the year.
The Glo music ambassadors, whose contracts were recently renewed, are Nigeria’s leading music stars, Peter and Paul Okoye (PSquare), Oladapo Oyebanjo (D’Banj), Chinedu Okoli (Flavour), Jude Abaga (M. I.), Oluwatobi Ojosipe (Wande Coal), Omawumi Megbele, Bez Idakula, Burna Ogulu (Burna Boy), Ego Ogbaro and Sammie Okposo.
Globacom also signed on hip hop sensation, Ayodeji Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, after he terminated his contract with MTN. It also signed on the Mavin crew of Koredo Bello, Reekado Banks and Hadizah Blell (Di’ja).
However, the leader of the Mavin Group, Michael Ajereh (Don Jazzy) leads other music artistes on the MTN network. He is joined by Tiwa Savage, Sidney Esiri (Dr. Sid), Olanrewaju Fasasi (Sound Sultan), Iyanya Mbuk, Chidinma Ekile, Bankole Williams (Banky W), Kingsley Okonkwo (KCee) and David Adeleke (Davido).
MTN also recently signed on the visually impaired music artiste and producer, Cobhams Asuquo.
Our correspondent obtained the figures from the telecommunications companies on Wednesday, amid plans to announce an on-demand music service.
An employee in the Corporate Affairs Division of Globacom, who pleaded anonymity, said that apart from paying “about N4bn in form of royalties to Glo music ambassadors, Glo plans to lead the music streaming business in the future, which valuation is estimated to be about $8.5bn (N1.7tn).”
He said Globacom’s interest in the music streaming business might be due to the decline in digital download business, adding, “The streaming business is projected to grow at almost 40 per cent annually and will probably be over $2bn (N393bn) business in 2016.”
It was gathered that the new and rising stream of revenue for the telecoms firms might have accounted for the recent scramble for top music artistes in the country by both Globacom and MTN.
While MTN declined to renew the contracts of some of its music brand ambassadors last month, Globacom quickly poached them with higher bids.
However, aside the over N5bn generated for the music industry, MTN said the brand ambassadorship, appearances and performances fees made for the artistes amounted to over N500m.
“MTN has invested more than N1bn in talent discovery and development through the Project Fame sponsorship platform,” the company’s General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Miss Funmi Onajide, said.
“The recent rebasing of the country’s Gross Domestic Product puts the contributions of the entertainment/music sector at $7bn (N1.4tn) of the total value of $510bn (N100.4tn). This represents 3.7 per cent contributions to the total GDP growth,” she added.
According to her, MTN’s leadership contribution in the sector has impacted positively on the lives of Nigerian creative talents.
Onajide stated that beyond music, “MTN has also made significant investments, partnerships and contributions to helping to address distribution and monetisation challenges of other creative talents.”
Per Sundin, Managing Director, Universal Music, Sweden had in December 2013 urged telecoms firms in Nigeria to take to streaming the contents of their music ambassadors “rather than just serving as ring tones.”
“I am 100 per cent sure that this is the future. Streaming services will be the next step for global music consumption,” he had said.
University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, has officially banned skitmaking, content creation and other video recording activities within its campus and hostels without prior authorization.
Mrs. Adejoke Alaga-Ibraheem, head of Communication, UNILAG, in a statement, said that the ban followed growing concern over the increasing use of university facilities for unapproved video productions, including comedy skits, vox pops and film shoots.
“The attention of the University Management has been drawn to the rising use of the University premises, including hostels and other facilities, for shooting of films, videos, skits, and similar cinematographic activities without proper authorisation,” parts of the statement read.
According to UNILAG, the decision aims to safeguard the institution’s image, maintain decorum within the academic environment, and ensure that its premises are not misrepresented in online or public content.
The university emphasized that any individual, whether a student, staff member, or external party, must seek and obtain formal approval from the institution’s Communication Unit before carrying out any form of recording or production on campus.
While acknowledging the importance of creative expression and media engagement, UNILAG maintained that all such activities must comply with its established rules and procedures to preserve order and safety.
The statement also appealed to members of the university community and the general public to strictly adhere to the new directive “in the interest of order, safety, and collective responsibility”.
Multichoice Nigeria Limited has been been ordered by Lagos Court to pay damages for breaching consumer rights, in rulings hailed by regulators as victories for consumer protection.
In Lagos, the High Court presided over by Justice R. O. Olukolu awarded ₦5 million in damages against Multichoice for unlawfully disconnecting a paid DStv subscription belonging to Mr. Ben Onuora.
The court held that the disruption caused undue hardship to the subscriber and his family, and ordered the company to reconnect the service and extend the subscription to cover the lost period.
The judgment cited Sections 130, 136, and 142–145 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018.
Reacting to the judgments, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) described them as landmark decisions that reinforce Nigeria’s consumer protection framework.
In a statement signed by Mr. Ondaje Ijagwu, director of Corporate Affairs for Mr. Tunji Bello, executive vice chairman, FCCPC, said the rulings demonstrate the effectiveness of judicial enforcement under the FCCPA.
“These outcomes strengthen consumer confidence and marketplace accountability,” Bello said, commending the judiciary and encouraging consumers to continue seeking redress through lawful channels.
Between March and August 2025, the FCCPC facilitated recoveries exceeding ₦10 billion for consumers across 30 sectors, according to the Commission.
The FCCPC reiterated its commitment to promoting fair markets and protecting consumer rights nationwide.
MultiChoice Group is set to delist from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) on December 10 2025, after Canal+ secured control of more than 90% of its shares, effectively completing its takeover of the African pay-TV giant.
The Group, in a notice to shareholders at the weekend, announced that trading of its shares on both the JSE and A2X will be suspended from Monday, October 27, 2025.
The official delisting date of December 10 is pending regulatory approvals from the JSE, A2X, and the Financial Surveillance Department of the South African Reserve Bank.
Canal+, a French media conglomerate and subsidiary of Vivendi, crossed the 90% shareholding threshold, enabling it to invoke Section 124(1) of South Africa’s Companies Act.
This legal provision allows Canal+ to compulsorily acquire all remaining MultiChoice shares from shareholders who did not accept its offer.
According to the notice, Canal+ will acquire the remaining shares on the same terms and offer price presented during the takeover bid.
“The Remaining MultiChoice Shareholders are reminded of their rights to apply to a court of competent jurisdiction within 30 business days after receiving the Notice in terms of section 124(2) of the Companies Act (“Section 124(2) Rights”).” The notice read.
If no legal challenges are raised, Canal+ will complete the compulsory acquisition six weeks after the notice date, finalising MultiChoice’s transition into a wholly owned subsidiary of the French media group.
The delisting will mark the end of MultiChoice’s 6-year presence on the JSE, where it was listed in 2019 following its spin-off from Naspers.
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