Broadcasting
NCC, Nigeria Police to Intensify Interagency Intervention Against Piracy
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) have renewed their existing interagency partnership for intensified antipiracy interventions across the country.
Baba Tijani, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Operations (DIG Ops), and the Director-General of NCC, Mr. John O. Asein disclosed this during a consultative meeting at the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) Headquarters in Abuja recently.
DIG Tijani, who received the NCC DG on a working visit, reaffirmed the commitment of the NPF to institutional and operational support for the Commission in implementation of its national antipiracy campaign across the country.
The Police DIG gave assurance that the Force would continue to back the NCC in its regulatory and enforcement interventions for the protection and promotion of the creative industry in Nigeria.
The Director-General solicited the cooperation of the Police in the execution of the Commission’s primary mandate of curbing copyright piracy nationwide.
Expressing concern on the rising incidence of piracy in the country, Mr. Asein commended the Police for the support that the Commission has enjoyed and called for enhanced synergy between both agencies to effectively check the piracy menace.
The Director-General noted that the strategic partnership existing between the Police and the Commission which dated back to over thirty years of fighting copyright theft has yielded fruitful results.
In his further remarks, the DIG Tijani stated that he was conversant with the operations and activities of the NCC in its bid to curb copyright piracy in Nigeria. He noted that both organisations shared the mandate of curbing crime and promoting the right ideals in society.
The DIG observed that high rate of intellectual property theft has negative impact on the creative sector and Nigeria’s economy, describing the activities of pirates in local parlance as ‘monkey de work, baboon de chop’, alluding to the fact that pirates were in the criminal business of reaping from others’ creations through illicit and unauthorised exploitation.
He indicated that curbing piracy should go beyond investigation and arrest and charged the Commission to “build an internal security architecture to detect piracy” and embark on intensive investigation and prosecution of copyright cases.
DIG Tijani reiterated the continued support of the Police for the NCC in fighting piracy to a standstill in the country. He stressed that the Police would always cooperate with relevant stakeholders to promote national harmony and cohesion.
In attendance were the representative of the Inspector General of Police on the Governing Board of NCC, Assistant Inspector General of Police, J. D. Abang; Director of Operations, NCC, Mr. Obi Ezeilo and NCC Director of Legal Services, Mr. Emeka Ogbonna.
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
Lagos Launches Tele-Vet, Nigeria’s First Veterinary Call Centre
NiDCOM Launches Diaspora Startup Challenge to Boost Nigerian Talent
PromoPrint Rekindles Nigerian Resilience @ 25th Anniversary
Nigeria Lacks AI-Ready Data Centres, Trails in Capacity – Nnamani
Anambra Leads Southeast in Digital Governance Under Soludo’s ICT Agenda
Kaspersky Introduces Cyber Pathways to Support Career Development in Cybersecurity
NITDA DG Tasks Youths to Drive Africa’s Digital Transformation
Firm Urges Organizations to Check Protection of their Websites Amid Search Engine Optimisation Attack Schemes
Hackers Breach Phones of Dangote and Otedola, Demand Ransom
FCCPC Sets Deadline for Digital Lending Regulatory Compliance
News3 days agoPAPSS Cowry to Benefit Manufacturers, SMEs
Telecom3 days agoMTN Nigeria Launches Y’ello Data Gifting Campaign as Digital Connectivity Shapes Festive Celebrations
General News3 days agoManufacturers Block More Ransomware, But Data Theft Surges – Sophos Report
E-Financial3 days agoAccess Bank’s Digital Innovation Earns Top Financial Inclusion Award
E-Financial3 days agoCBN’s New Cash Policy: A Welcome Liberalisation or a Risky Retreat?
Broadcasting3 days agoNIPR Postpones Maiden PRICE Awards to January 25, 2026
Telecom3 days agoAfrica Must Build Its Own Cybersecurity Intelligence, Says Tizel CEO At AfriTech 5.0
Telecom3 days agoMTN Partners with SMEDAN to Drive Digital Growth and Job Creation Nationwide