Broadcasting
The Voice Season 4 Premieres this Saturday
StarTimes Nigeria has announced that it will air Season 4 of The Voice Nigeria, which premieres this Saturday, 24 December.
ST Nollywood Plus will air the show at 5:30pm while ST Nollywood airs at 7pm every Saturday.
StarTimes subscribers can watch as low as N1850 on basic bouquet or N2600 on smart bouquet, alongside other juicy entertainment lined-up this holiday season on the StarTimes platform.
This is even as the producers, FAME Studios, have revealed Niyola, Praiz, Naeto C and Waje as the coaches of The Voice Nigeria Season 4.
This year, talents can look forward to versatile and dynamic coaches that would be exposing them to all they need to be unstoppable in their music careers.
The lineup of first-time coaches for this season of The Voice Nigeria are well known for their uniqueness in the music industry. Niyola, a multitalented singer and songwriter with over 17 years of experience and counting as a professional musician with an incredible pitch and voice texture.
Praiz, one of Nigeria’s most incredible voices, a member of the Grammy academy, producer and songwriter and Naeto C, a rapper, Afrobeat and record producer all of whom are known to be professionals in the music industry and have long-standing history of hit albums with multiple awards to their names. While returning as a coach is Waje, who has already established herself as one of the most accomplished female voices in the music industry in Nigeria and beyond the shores of Africa with hit albums and numerous awards.
Each of them is an industry veteran and has a record of a successful and thriving music career across different genres. Talents will be able to draw on their years of experience making excellent music, becoming superb performing artists, and connecting with people, especially Nigerians, through art.
Sponsors of Season 4 include First Bank, Airtel, Leadway Assurance, CocaCola, JAC Motors and Zaron for making this season possible.
The show’s engaging format features four stages of competition: the first begins with the Blind Auditions, then the Knockouts, Battle Rounds and, finally, the Live Performance Shows. The four seasoned coaches of the show, Naeto C, Niyola, Waje and Praiz will seek twelve talents each for their teams who they will work with during the show to hone their skills and prepare the successful acts who make it to the Live Performance Shows to serenade views in exchange for votes.
The season will be hosted by award-winning actress, Kate Henshaw alongside popular TV presenter, producer and actress, Zainab Balogun-Nwachukwu. The winning talent of The Voice Nigeria Season 4 winner will be walking away with a monetary reward, a brand-new car, and an international recording contract.
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has said that Nigerians will no longer pay annual Digital Access Fees under the renewed Digital Switch Over (DSO) project.
Charles Ebuebu, director-general, NBC, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja,
Ebuebu said viewers only need to purchase an approved decoder and satellite dish which cost below N20,000 to enjoy free television permanently.
“Previously, users paid an annual digital access fee of about N1,500, described as an administrative charge.
“The new system removes that annual fee. It provides free access to free-to-air television channels without any payment.
“Premium channels will be introduced later. Viewers who want those additional channels will be able to access them through paid services.
“Nigerian content on free-to-air channels remains free to watch. Unlike Pay TV, this platform does not require monthly subscriptions for its basic service,” he said
Ebuebu said approved decoders for the FreeTV will cost less than N20,000 and authorised sales outlets will soon be announced.
He urged Nigerians to wait for official information on approved dealers for the DSO decoders, warning that unauthorised sellers are exploiting growing public demand.
He reiterated that people only need a free-to-air decoder, along with a satellite dish instead of the old antenna system to receive the DSO signal.
“Once the equipment is installed, viewers can access all available channels across the country without paying any subscription fees,” he stressed
The DG dismissed claims by some retailers that there are different categories of decoders sold at varying prices, stressing that such sellers are not authorised by the commission.
According to him, the NBC will soon publish the list of approved dealers, official prices, and locations where genuine decoder boxes and accessories can be purchased.
The NBC boss said the DSO project is designed not only to improve television broadcasting but also to stimulate economic growth by creating jobs, attracting investment, and opening up opportunities for businesses that support the broadcasting industry.
Ebuebu noted that content producers and broadcasters stand to benefit significantly from the nationwide reach of the DSO platform.
Unlike the previous system, where many stations had limited regional audiences, he said the new platform will make their channels available to viewers across Nigeria.
He added that the introduction of audience measurement technology will provide scientific and reliable data on television viewership.
Ebuebu added that audience measurement technology will give advertisers greater confidence in placing adverts and enable broadcasters to demonstrate the true size and reach of their audiences nationwide.
Uchenna Mbunabo, Nigerian filmmaker, has raised concerns over the alleged unauthorised broadcast of Nollywood films by some Ghanaian television stations, calling on Ghana’s National Film Authority (NFA) to strengthen the enforcement of copyright laws.
Uchenna Mbunabo, Nigerian filmmaker
Mbunabo made the remarks during a conversation with James Gardiner, deputy CEO of the National Film Authority (NFA) of Ghana.
He questioned whether it was permissible for television stations in Ghana to download Nigerian movies from YouTube and air them without obtaining permission from the producers.
“I noticed that Ghanaian TV stations, the way they are stealing our films and showing them for free with impunity. Is it legalised in your country for TV stations to go on YouTube, download people’s sweat and show it for free?”
According to Mbunabo, some Ghanaian television stations have been downloading newly released Nollywood films from YouTube and broadcasting them without authorisation, depriving producers of revenue generated through the platform.
He also stated that he had not witnessed Nigerian television stations engaging in similar practices and questioned what measures Ghana was taking to protect filmmakers’ intellectual property.
Responding to the concerns, Gardiner acknowledged that the issue exists and said the National Film Authority had begun engaging relevant stakeholders to address it.
He disclosed that the NFA has held discussions with the Ministry of Communications, the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the National Media Commission (NMC) on improving copyright enforcement.
Gardiner explained that while Ghana has copyright laws, enforcement remains challenging because many television stations now operate digitally and may not have physical offices within the country.
“There are copyright laws, but they are not effective because a lot of the TV stations don’t have offices. Most of them are now digital, so they operate from anywhere. They can even have a Ghanaian TV station but be operating from Austria simply because it is digital.”
He added that authorities are considering a new licensing framework that would require broadcasters to undergo a fresh licensing process to improve monitoring and enforcement.
According to Gardiner, television stations found guilty of illegally broadcasting copyrighted content would be required to compensate affected producers through fines.
He added that repeat offenders could face suspension of their broadcasting licences, while a third violation could result in the revocation of their licences.
Although he did not provide a specific timeline, Gardiner said the reforms were already underway and expressed hope that significant progress would be seen next year.
Mbunabo welcomed the proposed measures but urged the National Film Authority to expedite the process, stating that unauthorised broadcasts continue to affect filmmakers’ ability to recover production costs through legitimate distribution channels such as YouTube.
He also stressed that his comments were not directed at Ghana’s film industry, noting that he has worked with several Ghanaian actors over the years and supports collaborations between Nollywood and Ghallywood.
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