Broadcasting
Multichoice Signs Royalty Agreement with Coson
MultiChoice Nigeria in its bid to foster growth of the Nigerian entertainment industry has signed a landmark Music Broadcasting Licence Agreement (MBLA) with the Copyright Society of Nigeria (Coson) for licence to use Nigerian music in all its broadcast platforms in the country.
The Copyright Society of Nigeria is the nations sole collective management organization for musical works and sound recordings.
The highpoint of the MBLA is the voluntary undertaking by MultiChoice Nigeria to pay an agreed annual licence fee to Coson as rights for musical work exposed on DStv and ancillary platforms.
The payment follows weeks of mutual negotiation with Coson which is the sole statutory collecting society in Nigeria recognized by the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC).
Expressing his satisfaction with the signing ceremony, Chief Tony Okoroji, Coson chairman said; ‘It is a great thing. It has been a long time coming. MultiChoice has clearly shown that it is a responsible corporate organization with genuine concern for the protection of intellectual property in Nigeria. Their partnership with us for the development of the music industry is commendable.”
He urged other corporate organisations in Nigeria to emulate MultiChoice and contribute to the effort to pay music rights owners their proper dues: “We urge other corporate organisation, bodies, associations and individuals to tow the part of honour like MultiChoice and set the intellectual property industry on the part to sustenance to encourage proper exploitation of commercial opportunities for those who have worked hard to entertain Nigerians. Without the support of all stakeholders, the intellectual property industry could die an unnatural death if we allow fraudsters to reap where they did not sow,” he said.
John Ugbe, managing director of MultiChoice Nigeria said that MultiChoice is committed to the promotion of the entertainment industry in Nigeria. He urged corporate bodies to partner with relevant agencies to support and protect intellectual property in the country. He deplored all forms of intellectual property crimes such as broadcast piracy which is currently bedeviling the broadcast industry in the country.
“Piracy has a detrimental effect on any industry and will lead to the long term erosion of the industry. This includes the effect on artists and filmmakers rights and their payments. Piracy also has a detrimental effect on the economy, since generally those involved in piracy do not pay for the right owners for the works that they utilize and hardly, if ever, pay taxes and/or employ staff. The money that they make on the theft, since that is what piracy ultimately is, goes only to their pockets and not the rightful owners of the rights or materials,” he said.
Ugbe also revealed that MultiChoice Nigeria’s operations is guarded by best global practices where the issues of right clearance for intellectual property is concerned: “We always emphasis that companies selling programming or channels on any of the channels on DStv that have not cleared rights for the broadcast of these programmes or channels are in contravention of International copyright laws conventions on the protection of intellectual property rights. The unauthorized transmission of programmes or channels, as well as the sale and purchase of these programmes for the purposes of viewing the programming on these channels is thus illegal and subject to litigation.”
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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