Broadcasting
MultiChoice Agrees to Pay N35.4Bn as Part of FIRS Tax Claim
MultiChoice Group has agreed to pay N35.4 billion as part of its tax obligations to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
This is about 10per cent of the initial claim filed by the Nigerian tax authorities, after a long period of negotiation.
Multichoice is the owner of DStv, Gotv, both popular subscription-based platforms in Nigeria.
According to a statement by the group, the total tax amount (35.4 billion naira) will be offset against the security deposits and good faith payments made to date.
This follows the country’s Federal Inland Revenue Service decision to freeze MultiChoice Nigeria’s accounts in 2022 after serving the Group with a 1.8 trillion naira ($1.27 billion) tax claim for its Nigeria operation and a $342 million claim for value-added taxes.
The tax agency claimed that it relied on the power it derived from Section 49 of the Companies Income Tax Act of 2004 as amended and Section 31 of the FIRS (Establishment) Act No. 13 of 2007.
Similar: MultiChoice suffers $50.2 million after-tax loss between April 1-Sept 30
The FIRS also explained that the decision to appoint the banks as agents and to freeze the accounts was a result of the groups’ continued refusal to grant FIRS access to their servers for audit
Technext24.com reported that the Muhammad Nami, then executive chairman of the FIRS, was quoted as saying, “The companies would not promptly respond to correspondences, they lacked data integrity and are not transparent as they continually deny FIRS access to their records.
At that time, the FIRS noted that the level of non-compliance by Multi-Choice Africa (MCA), the parent Company, the Multichoice Group was alarming.
It added that the parent company, which provided services to Multichoice Nigeria had never paid Value Added Tax (VAT) since its inception.
MultiChoice went to court to challenge the penalty imposed by the tax authority. However, the South African company subsequently withdrew all pending lawsuits and the Federal Inland Revenue Service agreed to conduct a forensic audit of MultiChoice’s accounts to determine the company’s tax liability.
The Multichoice group agreed to pay a total of $37.5 million, about 10% of the initial claim filed by the Nigerian tax authorities, after a long period of negotiation.
Multichoice to allow users share DStv streaming accounts
Technext24.com recall that in 2021, the FIRS issued notices of Assessment and Demand Notices in the sum of N1.8 trillion on MultiChoice. Subsequently, a Tax Appeal Tribunal (TAT) sitting in Lagos has ordered Multichoice to pay 50% of the N1.8 trillion which it had determined to be the amount the company hasn’t made in tax payments.
Similar: Multichoice confirms Nigerians will pay more for DStv, GOtv subscription from May 1st
Nigeria contributes about 34 per cent of total revenue for the Multi-Choice group. Next to Nigeria is Kenya with 11 per cent and Zambia in third place with about 10 per cent.
According to the group’s reports, the rest African countries where they have a presence account for 45 per cent of the group’s total revenue.
Additional report by technext24.com
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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