Broadcasting
NBC, NIGCOMSAT Sign Partnership Deal on Digital Switch-over
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) said it is partnering with Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) to accelerate the process of digital switch-over (DSO) in the country.
Director-General of the commission, Malam Balarabe Ilelah, made the disclosure in a statement issued by Ekanem Antia, Deputy Director, Public Affairs of NBC, on Saturday in Abuja.
The statement quoted Ilelah as speaking during a visit to the Managing Director of NIGCOMSAT, Dr Abimbola Alale.
He explained that the visit was to discuss and identify areas where the two agencies could have a mutually beneficial relationship.
Ilelah noted that the importance of inter-agency collaborations could not be over-stressed, as it would add value to their mandates and strengthen their relationship which, in turn, would contribute immensely to the growth and development of the country.
The director-general said that the country had made huge progress towards the switchover from analogue to digital terrestrial television broadcasting and the benefits the viewers and stakeholders had experienced so far.
He said that the next state to be switched on was Kano State, adding that it would start enjoying the benefits from Sept 30.
Ilelah, who observed very little presence of indigenous players in the Digital Broadcasting Ecosystem, expressed willingness to encourage more local participation in the digital switchover project.
He stressed that with the support and cooperation of NIGCOMSAT, the DSO project would be seamless.
Responding, Alale appreciated the NBC boss for the visit and expressed NIGCOMSAT’s readiness to support the commission in achieving a successful DSO roll-out in the country.
She lauded the commission’s efforts at regulating and controlling the broadcasting industry in Nigeria, saying that this had impacted positively on broadcast programmes and contents across board.
Similarly, the NBC boss paid a courtesy call on Mr Kahifu Abdullahi, Director-General, National Information Development Agency (NITDA), to seek the support of the agency towards the successful launch of DSO in the remaining states and automation of the commission’s operations and services.
Abdullahi assured NBC of his agency’s commitment towards realising the commission’s vision of embracing digital technologies in its processes.
He also pledged NITDA’s commitment to incorporating NBC into its Digital Transformation Working Group (DTWG) to facilitate capacity building for their personnel and bring them up to speed on ways of having full grasp of the process.
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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