Telecom
Netflix Switches Warner Bros. Bid to $27.75 Cash Offer as MultiChoice Secures HBO Future
Netflix has amended its takeover offer for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) into an all-cash proposal worth $27.75 per share, removing the stock component in an effort to counter a hostile bid from Paramount Global.
Netflix
The revised proposal maintains an enterprise value of roughly $82.7 billion and targets WBD’s film and television studios, HBO, and HBO Max, while excluding several cable networks that would be spun off into a separate entity called Discovery Global.Entertainment center
WBD’s board has unanimously approved the amended Netflix offer and set a shareholder vote for April 2026. Meanwhile, Paramount is continuing its own hostile campaign with a competing all-cash offer valued at $108.4 billion at $30 per share, alongside legal and proxy efforts aimed at derailing Netflix’s bid.
The development carries downstream implications for Nigeria’s pay-TV landscape. Following weeks of speculation over expiring carriage agreements, MultiChoice, now operating under Canal+ control, secured a multi-year deal with WBD on December 31, 2025, preserving 12 channels on DStv and GOtv and avoiding a blackout at the start of the year. Channels retained include CNN International, Cartoon Network, Cartoonito, TNT Africa, and several Discovery-branded networks.
Separately, four channels from Paramount Africa and CBS AMC , BET Africa, MTV Base, CBS Reality, and CBS Justice, were removed from DStv on January 1, 2026. The MultiChoice–WBD agreement also includes plans to launch HBO Max as a dedicated tile on MultiChoice platforms in 2026, ensuring ongoing access to HBO programming despite Netflix’s attempt to acquire WBD’s production assets.
The near-blackout scenario had raised concerns among Nigerian subscribers, who frequently cite international news and children’s programming as central reasons for maintaining DStv subscriptions. The continued availability of these channels averted disruption to school-time content and global news coverage.
However, some customers argue that prices have not declined despite the permanent removal of four Paramount and CBS channels, intensifying debates over value in a market where pay-TV represents a considerable household expense.
Industry analysts note the episode underscores the fragility of regional content pipelines, as global mergers, acquisitions, and carriage negotiations can swiftly reshape African programming lineups and accelerate migration toward standalone streaming or cheaper alternatives.
Attention now turns to April 2026, when shareholder votes on the Netflix proposal and Paramount’s challenges could determine which assets remain bundled for international carriage. For Nigerian viewers, key uncertainties include whether MultiChoice will reprice or restructure packages to reflect the altered channel mix and how the HBO Max tile will be bundled or charged when it rolls out locally.
In the wake of increasing geopolitical tension, Cassava Technologies has unveiled its National Sovereign Cloud offering for African governments.
The solution, the company claims, will help the continent’s governments ensure data is kept on infrastructure that remains under local legal and operational jurisdiction.
According to the official announcement, made yesterday, the solution provides “secure, locally-governed digital infrastructure that enables the deployment of AI-enabled public services”.
The overarching solution encompasses cloud, cyber security, AI computing infrastructure, as well as local language AI models and skills support for governments.
The announcement comes amid increasing uncertainty over the hosting of sensitive national data on cloud services operated by foreign hyperscalers, which are subject to legal frameworks, such as the U.S. CLOUD Act. The CLOUD Act opens the door to allow American authorities to access data stored on the servers of US hyperscalers, wherever those servers are physically located.
Cassava has claimed separately that currently, “approximately 33% to 45% of the world’s data is hosted in the USA”.
The company added: “A sovereign cloud reduces exposure to extraterritorial laws, improves cyber resilience, and ensures that model weights and training data for public AI remain under national custody.”
The Africa Data Centres Association’s 2026 Economic Report states that “data sovereignty has evolved from a legal aspiration into a strategic policy lever”.
Ahmed El Beheiry, Group COO and Group Chief Technology and AI Officer, Cassava Technologies said: “Across Africa, governments are accelerating their digital transformation agendas and are increasingly focused on ensuring that data and digital infrastructure remain secure and sovereign.”
Announced at the Mobile Word Congress in Barcelona, this week, the Sovereign Cloud offering launch accompanied the launch of Cassava’s Cloud Partner programme.
The partner programme targets mobile network operators and system integrators across Africa to resell and distribute AI, cloud, and other digital services using Cassava’s infrastructure and technology platforms.
El Beheiry added: “We are expanding Africa’s sovereign AI ecosystem to build solutions that address the continent’s unique challenges while creating new opportunities for growth and digital inclusion.”
The programme offers partners access to NVIDIA Cloud Partner solutions, Cassava’s AI Factory, its own native AI solutions and its AI Multi-Model Exchange, which supports both Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s Gemini models.
Mazen Mroue, a non-executive director at MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, has resigned effective February 27, 2026, to prioritise other responsibilities within the MTN Group, the company announced in a Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) filing.
MTN Nigeria
The notice, signed by company secretary Uto Ukpanah, stated: “This is to enable Mr. Mroue to focus on other priorities within MTN Group Limited. The Board wishes to express its appreciation to Mr. Mroue for his immense service to MTN Nigeria and wishes him success in his future endeavours.”
Mroue joined MTN Nigeria’s board on June 1, 2022, bringing over 28 years of telecom experience. A veteran MTN executive, he previously served as CEO of MTN Uganda and MTN Liberia, non-executive director at MTN Cyprus, and held leadership roles at MTN Ghana.
Since February 2022, he has been MTN Group’s Chief Technology and Information Officer, overseeing technology strategy and governance. Earlier, as MTN Nigeria’s COO from August 2018 to January 2022, he also sat on the MTN Nigeria Foundation board.
The exit follows MTN Nigeria’s stellar 2025 results, posting a ₦1.70 trillion profit before tax—reversing a ₦550.3 billion loss in 2024 driven by forex woes—marking one of the telco’s strongest rebounds.
Google has rolled out support for Yorùbá and Hausa languages in its AI-powered Search features—AI Overviews and AI Mode—enabling millions of Nigerians to get quick answers, summaries, and conversational web exploration in their mother tongues.
The update forms part of Google’s push to cover 13 African languages, including Afrikaans, Akan, Amharic, Kinyarwanda, Afaan Oromoo, Somali, Sesotho, Kiswahili, Setswana, Wolof, and isiZulu, selected based on high search activity across the continent.
Now, a Kano student can ask complex questions in Hausa, while an Ibadan trader seeks business tips in Yorùbá—both receiving culturally nuanced AI responses via text or voice on Android, iOS, or web.
Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s West Africa Communications Manager, said: “Building truly global Search requires nuanced local understanding. With Gemini-powered AI, we’ve made advanced capabilities relevant in Yorùbá and Hausa, so Nigerians converse naturally with Search in their mother tongues.”
To use: Open the Google app, tap AI Mode, and query in Hausa or Yorùbá for personalised guidance—breaking language barriers and making technology reflect Nigeria’s diverse identity.
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