Broadcasting
NCC, NTA Partner for Enhanced Copyright Protection in Broadcast Industry
The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) and Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) have reached a commitment to launch an intensive copyright awareness and enforcement campaign to engender a well-regulated broadcast space and rid the broadcast industry of incessant piracy of protected broadcast signal across the country.
The inter-Agency partnership is also geared at facilitating manpower development and institutional capacity strengthening for better service delivery in the interest of both public service organizations.
Mr. John Asein, Director-General of NCC, and the NTA Director-General disclosed these during deliberations when the DG NCC paid a courtesy visit to the NTA Headquarters, Abuja.
Mr. Asein stated that in commemorating the 30th anniversary of NCC in August 2019, the Commission was poised to team up with stakeholders like the NTA to celebrate all copyright owners in appreciation of the contributions of authors and the creative industries to the socio-economic development of Nigeria.
He observed that as the flagship of the broadcast industry and a major content provider, NTA shared a lot in common with the NCC, adding that both organizations would explore avenues of mutual interests to safeguard the wellbeing of the broadcasting environment in the overall national interest.
The DG NCC sought the support of NTA to put creativity on the front burner of national discourse, to inculcate the culture of respect for copyright in Nigerians, especially among students and to send a strong signal out that Nigeria is not a piracy country.
He called for joint NCC, NTA efforts to do an intellectual property (IP) audit of NTA rights and assured that the NCC would intensify its enforcement measures to short down the copyright infringement outlets in unauthorized TV stations, Hotels and airports, among others. “Together, we can clean the space of NTA signals, archival materials and film footages being commercialized without copyright authorization”, he added.
The NCC Director-General underscored the need to include IP/Copyright course in the curricula of NTA College, Jos; offered free IP/Copyright training for NTA staff and pro bono legal services to assist the national TV station to effectively protect the copyright of its broadcast signals and content.
He also called on NTA to facilitate the training of NCC corporate affairs officers and grant concessions for the airing of the Commission’s copyright awareness materials, especially during its forthcoming 30th anniversary.
The Director-General of NTA, Mallam Ibn Muhammed, noted that piracy would reduce with more public enlightenment and assured that NTA would support the NCC in its efforts to educate Nigerians on the values of respect for copyright and creativity and the legal implications of piracy of protected creative works.
He indicated that NTA was the sole owner of Africa Cup of Nations broadcast right and regretted that many TV stations were pirating its signals in addition to the unauthorized production and sales of movies with NTA content materials.
The Director-General stated that the NTA would collaborate with the NCC to secure its assets nationwide and to engender an improved broadcasting environment that is properly regulated by law in Nigeria.
Mallam Ibn Muhammed welcomed the offer of exchange of manpower and institutional capacity development by both Federal Agencies to boost the realization of their respective statutory mandates.
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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