Broadcasting
Nigerian Idol: Kingdom, Francis Begin Race To Final Showdown As Akunna Bows Out
Sunday night’s show was as special as it was emotional for fans and viewers of the Nigerian Idol Season 6 show.
The show kicked off with a lively performance of Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic” by the top 8 contestants – Beyonce, Comfort, Clinton, Daniel, Dotun, Emmanuel, Faith Jason and Faith Mac – who were eliminated at different stages in the competition.
All eight of them displayed great chemistry as they performed to the delight of viewers and the judges who gave them a standing ovation.
And then it was time for the business of the day. The viewing public clearly put in the work this past week with over 11 million votes recorded.
The first person confirmed as part of the Top Two was Kingdom, who struggled to contain his emotions.
The fans had also chosen to save Francis Atela, who heaved a huge sigh of relief. It was, sadly, the end of the road for Akunna, the 23-year-old entertainment lawyer who was the last girl standing in the competition.
Akunna was described by the veteran music producer Cobhams Asuquo as “a powerful singer”. Kingdom praised her work rate and performance ability, while DJ Sose noted that she had awesome stage presence.
For her farewell performance, she covered Adele’s hit single “Set Fire To The Rain”, with vocal assistance from the live band.
The top two contestants were each mandated to perform three songs. Kingdom’s first performance of the night was a soulful cover of A Great Big World’s “Say Something”. Seyi Shay described it as “perfect”, and Obi Asika lauded the confidence on display.
Francis Atela, whose voice was described by Obi Asika as a “lethal weapon”, opted for John Legend’s “So High” as his first song for the night. DJ Sose described it as “emotive”.
For the second round of performances, Kingdom went with “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, which he described as the song which he enjoyed covering the most during the course of the season.
Obi Asika appeared overly delighted, and DJ Sose seemed pretty pleased with what he heard.
Francis Atela was more than happy to hand in another performance of Bryan Adams’ classic “Please Forgive Me.” DJ Sose noted that he didn’t walk the stage enough, but Obi Asika commented on how he “owned the song”.
Kingdom’s final performance of the night was a cover of Bruno Mars’ 2010 hit “Just The Way You Are.” Seyi Shay found it difficult to contain her excitement, and Obi Asika acknowledged the growth in his performance and stage presence.
Francis Atela closed out proceedings with a high-pitched rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing”. Obi Asika commended him for his unique spin on the classic, and DJ Sose found no fault with the performance.
It’s the final voting week, and the power to determine who emerges the winner of this competition is solely in the hands of the viewers.
Voting on Nigerian Idol is via the website, mobile site, MyDStv, and MyGOtv apps and via SMS on participating networks – Airtel, MTN, and 9mobile. Voting ends on Thursday, July 8, 2021.
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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