Broadcasting
MTN Promotes Culture and Tourism as 2025 Bole Festival Records Massive Turnout
The 2025 MTN-backed Bole Festival drew a massive crowd to the Yakubu Gowon Stadium between September 6th and 7th, as thousands of residents, visitors and tourists converged in Port Harcourt for the ninth edition of Niger Delta’s signature celebration of roasted plantain, fish and native pepper sauce.
The festival recorded a significant increase in attendance, capping two days of performances, competitions, and brisk trade by food and non-food vendors. Despite light showers shortly after the opening, activities quickly resumed, with long queues at bole stands serving signature roasted plantain alongside different sizes of fish, while stalls selling clothes, jewellery and shoes did steady business.
The Regional General Manager, South-South Operations, MTN Nigeria Ifeanyichukwu Udom, described the sponsorship as part of the brand’s ongoing push to meet customers where they are and showcase new products. “We continually find ways to coordinate with our customers and support the enablement of their lives, dreams, and aspirations. If you look at this place today, our network is on point, 101%. We have a lot of content creators here because we provide an enabling platform, solid for connectivity via our Mifi, 5G devices, and others, they are able to connect. People are able to create content that is engaging and to let people know about the Bole festival that is ongoing, as well provide an opportunity for us to meet with our customers. Bole festival is now an international event, gathering momentum at every edition. I believe the next edition will be better, if it’s not, then something is not right.”
Competition segments drew loud cheers. The winner of the men’s dance competition, Fat Director, said: “I am excited because I was born to be a winner, I love to win. God has created me to be winning and till the next life, I will still be winning.”
In the women’s category, Ogbeifun praised the experience and connectivity at the venue: “The MTN network is good here, I have been experiencing seamless network connection, it’s very strong.
Bole Festival is not just about roasting or grilling plantain, but a tradition that brings people together, ignites and reignites friendship, network people and more.
Attendees travelled from within and outside Rivers State. First-timers Princess Green and Onyejieme Chidinma said it was their first experience at the Bole Festival and that they were getting the vibe. Lagos-based businessman Ebisan Atsemudiara, who arrived on the eve of the last day, said: “Port Harcourt is an amazing city, the people are just full of life. This is my second time here in Port Harcourt, and it’s so different from the last time. We are just arriving but I can already tell the atmosphere is filled. Looking forward to eating some good bole.”
Beyond the colour and music, the festival’s cultural and socioeconomic impact continues to expand. Conceived to showcase a local delicacy “in the Riverine way,” it now preserves culinary heritage across ethnic groups while generating revenue through tourism, food sales and wider trade, providing income for local and visiting vendors alike. Organisers say the event fosters unity, bringing people together despite economic and security challenges, and “connecting yesterday and today.”
With larger crowds, more games and stage performances, and stronger vendor participation, the 2025 edition showcased the Bole Festival’s evolution from a local food fair into an international carnival, and reinforced MTN’s role in keeping Port Harcourt’s most beloved cultural export firmly in the spotlight.
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
Paramount Africa is officially shutting down at the end of December 2025, drawing the curtain on more than two decades of operations in South Africa and Nigeria.
The company, which once reached over 100 million viewers across 52 African territories, confirmed it will close its doors as part of a massive global restructuring at its parent company, Paramount Global.
This is the same Paramount Africa behind channels like BET, MTV, MTV Base, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and more.
Its digital footprint has also been significant, with millions of monthly page views, social media engagements, and content partnerships across Africa.
But despite that scale, rising costs and a global strategic reset have caught up with the business.
Paramount’s retrenchment has been building for months.
Earlier this year, plans to launch a standalone Paramount+ app in South Africa were quietly shelved.
Then in August, the company said its content would remain available only via DStv and Showmax.
And last month, MultiChoice confirmed that BET Africa and MTV Base will disappear from DStv and GOtv on January 1, 2026, as Paramount Africa winds down entirely.
The shutdown is tied to aggressive cost-cutting after Paramount’s merger with Skydance. The company is targeting a 15% reduction in global staff and $3 billion in savings.
International divisions, including Africa, have taken the hardest hit as the business pivots away from linear TV and doubles down on a more streamlined streaming-first model.
At the same time, the global media landscape is being shaken by Warner Bros. Discovery’s chaotic auction. Netflix, Paramount, and Comcast have all submitted fresh bids for WBD, with some offers reportedly focusing on the studios-and-streaming division, home to HBO, HBO Max, DC, and Warner Bros. Pictures.
Analysts say the crown jewel bundle could go for as much as $70 billion, a deal that would reshape Hollywood and accelerate the decline of traditional TV.
DStv subscribers may lose access to 12 major Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) channels, including CNN International, Discovery Channel, TLC, and Cartoon Network, from Jan. 1, 2026, if MultiChoice and WBD fail to conclude a new distribution agreement.
DStv
MultiChoice, now owned by Canal+, issued a notice to customers on Monday, warning that its current carriage deal with WBD will expire on Dec. 31, 2025, and negotiations to renew the contract remain inconclusive.
“While discussions between the parties continue, no agreement has been reached at this stage. If this remains unchanged, several Warner Bros. Discovery channels may no longer be available on DStv from Jan. 1, 2026,” the company said.
The channels at risk include Discovery Channel, CNN International, TLC, Discovery Family, Real Time, TNT Africa, Food Network, HGTV, Investigation Discovery, Cartoon Network, Cartoonito, and Travel Channel.
The development comes amid subscriber losses for MultiChoice, which has shed 2.8 million active linear subscribers over the last two financial years.
This includes 1.2 million customers lost in 2025 alone, representing an 8 per cent decline across South Africa and the rest of Africa.
In Nigeria, MultiChoice has lost 1.4 million subscribers in the past two years, largely due to repeated subscription price increases, according to Nairametrics.
The broadcaster is also set to lose additional content in the coming months. Paramount Africa will discontinue BET Africa and MTV Base from Jan. 1, 2026, while CBS Reality and CBS Justice will cease operations on Dec. 31, 2025.
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