Broadcasting

Public Outcry as Mohammed, NBC Ignore Stakeholders to Unveil NBC Code

Published

5 years ago

August 5, 2020

Comms Week

Lai Mohammed

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^{Despite widespread stakeholder disapproval, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, minister of Information, on Tuesday, presented the 6th National Broadcasting Code recently released by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).}

^{Mohammed described the controversial document, presented in Lagos, as “signed, sealed and delivered”.}

^{Since 27 May when it was proposed by the NBC, industry stakeholders have been critical of many of its provisions, which were deemed draconian, with the NBC facing allegations of straying into areas over which it has no jurisdiction.}

^{Considered most irksome by stakeholders are provisions seeking to regulate content exclusivity, mandate content sharing and empower the NBC to determine prices at which content is sold to sub-licensees by rights holders. Notable critics of the code include Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, who described the code as “strangulatory” rather than regulatory; Jason Njoku, CEO of IrokoTV, who branded it as “quasi-socialism” and a means of subsidising inefficiency in the industry.}

^{Fielding questions from journalists, Mohammed said the new code makes it mandatory for broadcasters to share content rights with competitors, claiming that the code does not infringe on the copyright of right holders.}

^{He also claimed that the prohibition of exclusivity is not new to Nigerian broadcasting.}

^{“Nigerian Copyright Commission Act actually makes it mandatory that if you buy a right, you must sell that right to whoever wants to buy at a price to be agreed by the parties. By bringing it into the code, we are simply reinforcing the law.}

^{“The truth is that all the giants of the day, Amazon, Nextflix and iTunes started by sublicensing to become what they are.}

^{“It is only here in Africa that we buy rights and hold it to ourselves,” said Mohammed.}

^{On the allegation that the NBC is straying into areas over which it has no control, especially advertising regulation and debts, the minister claimed that as the apex broadcast industry regulator, it is the duty of the NBC to ensure a sustainable, qualitative and profitable industry.}

^{“Just like CBN ensures you can’t owe one bank and seek loan in another without paying your debt, we are also prohibiting advertisers from short-changing content creators and owners. Content drives advertising and we don’t want a backlog of debts to cripple the media houses. And when the media houses are not being paid, we the regulator cannot get our fees,” said the minister.}

^{Industry stakeholders have also branded the code as agenda-driven, noting that they were excluded from making input before the code was finalised and described its unveiling as an ambush.}

^{A content creator, who craved anonymity, said the invitation to the presentation was silent on the fact that the code would be unveiled.}

^{“The invitation simply said it was a press briefing, which would see the acting Director-General of the NBC speak on matters arising within the industry. That should tell you they just sneaked it in on the industry,” the content creator said.}

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Broadcasting

It is Official, DStv Confirms Termination of 16 Major Channels

Published

22 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Ebere Melum-Nwogbo

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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.

It is Official, DStv Confirms Termination of 16 Major Channels

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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Broadcasting

Paramount Africa Shuts Down after 20 Years

Published

22 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Ebere Melum-Nwogbo

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Paramount Africa is officially shutting down at the end of December 2025, drawing the curtain on more than two decades of operations in South Africa and Nigeria.

Paramount Africa Shuts Down after 20 Years

The company, which once reached over 100 million viewers across 52 African territories, confirmed it will close its doors as part of a massive global restructuring at its parent company, Paramount Global.

This is the same Paramount Africa behind channels like BET, MTV, MTV Base, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and more.

Its digital footprint has also been significant, with millions of monthly page views, social media engagements, and content partnerships across Africa.

But despite that scale, rising costs and a global strategic reset have caught up with the business.

Paramount’s retrenchment has been building for months.

Earlier this year, plans to launch a standalone Paramount+ app in South Africa were quietly shelved.

Then in August, the company said its content would remain available only via DStv and Showmax.

And last month, MultiChoice confirmed that BET Africa and MTV Base will disappear from DStv and GOtv on January 1, 2026, as Paramount Africa winds down entirely.

The shutdown is tied to aggressive cost-cutting after Paramount’s merger with Skydance. The company is targeting a 15% reduction in global staff and $3 billion in savings.

International divisions, including Africa, have taken the hardest hit as the business pivots away from linear TV and doubles down on a more streamlined streaming-first model.

At the same time, the global media landscape is being shaken by Warner Bros. Discovery’s chaotic auction. Netflix, Paramount, and Comcast have all submitted fresh bids for WBD, with some offers reportedly focusing on the studios-and-streaming division, home to HBO, HBO Max, DC, and Warner Bros. Pictures.

Analysts say the crown jewel bundle could go for as much as $70 billion, a deal that would reshape Hollywood and accelerate the decline of traditional TV.

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Broadcasting

DStv Subscribers May Lose CNN, Discovery, TLC in 2026

Published

3 days ago

December 3, 2025

Ugo Onwuaso

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DStv subscribers may lose access to 12 major Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) channels, including CNN International, Discovery Channel, TLC, and Cartoon Network, from Jan. 1, 2026, if MultiChoice and WBD fail to conclude a new distribution agreement.

DStv

MultiChoice, now owned by Canal+, issued a notice to customers on Monday, warning that its current carriage deal with WBD will expire on Dec. 31, 2025, and negotiations to renew the contract remain inconclusive.

“While discussions between the parties continue, no agreement has been reached at this stage. If this remains unchanged, several Warner Bros. Discovery channels may no longer be available on DStv from Jan. 1, 2026,” the company said.

The channels at risk include Discovery Channel, CNN International, TLC, Discovery Family, Real Time, TNT Africa, Food Network, HGTV, Investigation Discovery, Cartoon Network, Cartoonito, and Travel Channel.

The development comes amid subscriber losses for MultiChoice, which has shed 2.8 million active linear subscribers over the last two financial years.

This includes 1.2 million customers lost in 2025 alone, representing an 8 per cent decline across South Africa and the rest of Africa.

In Nigeria, MultiChoice has lost 1.4 million subscribers in the past two years, largely due to repeated subscription price increases, according to Nairametrics.

The broadcaster is also set to lose additional content in the coming months. Paramount Africa will discontinue BET Africa and MTV Base from Jan. 1, 2026, while CBS Reality and CBS Justice will cease operations on Dec. 31, 2025.

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