News
VIMN Africa and MultiChoice Group Renew Distribution Partnership
Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) and MultiChoice Group have announced the renewal of their distribution partnership which highlights the investment in local content, bringing audiences programming that showcases the best of Africa’s creativity and talent.
VIMN Africa’s channel brands BET, Comedy Central, MTV, MTV Base, MTV Music 24, Nickelodeon, NickToons and Nick Jr. collectively offer a broad range of original entertainment content across every age demographic.
Alex Okosi, executive vice president and managing director for VIMN Africa and BET International, said “This continued partnership demonstrates the shared commitment between VIMN Africa and MultiChoice to invest in local and international content that resonates with our audiences across the continent.
“We truly value our collaboration with MultiChoice as it also enables us to consistently deliver great African productions.”
“As Africa’s most-loved storyteller, we are pleased to share this market announcement of VIMN Africa.
“Our content offering ensures that we provide our partners platforms to tell their own stories in an authentic way.
“We invest over R2,5 billion in local content to keep bringing exciting and engaging African content to market and the industry.” said Yolisa Phahle, MultiChoice CEO for General Entertainment.
VIMN Africa’s channel brands collectively deliver exciting drama, comedy, music, animation, biopic and reality shows.
On BET, the brand continues to celebrate black excellence with a locally produced biopic that portrays one of South Africa’s most legendary stars in Dream: The Lebo Mathosa Story featuring a joint lead cast of KB Motsilanyane and Bahumi Madisakwane.
In the new year, BET will also welcome its first locally produced sitcom, Black Tax, which will bring laughter to their audiences.
The Behind the Story series with Pearl Thusi also returns for another season. Along with its stable of strong international shows from Tyler Perry’s studio productions Sistas and The Oval that have also made their debut on the channel.
Comedy Central continues to make life funnier and keep audiences laughing with a deep history of local productions from The Roast franchise to Most Ridiculous featuring the hilarious internet sensation, SuzelleDIY.
Comedy Central is the exclusive home to The Daily Show with Trevor Noah giving audiences the best in satire and comedy.
Other entertaining shows on the channel include Impractical Jokers, Key and Peele, Alternatino, Crank Yankers, The Other Two and South Park to name a few.
The channel also caters for viewer favourites Friends, The Big Bang Theory and Two and A Half Men.
On MTV, the channel builds on its successful local reality series Lasizwe, with the introduction of Have Faith, showcasing socialite and businesswoman Faith Nketsi’s flamboyant lifestyle.
The Guy Code and Girl Code comedy series on the channel feature popular comics, athletes and entertainers who bring viewers jaw-dropping how-to manuals about the wonders and woes of brotherhood and sisterhood.
MTV Base, the best music and youth-lifestyle brand on the continent, is now available on DStv Access in South Africa and Nigeria and continues to entertain audiences with trendsetting music from genres such as Afrobeats, Amapiano, Hip Hop and Gqom.
The channel’s investment in local content includes Celeb Living, Musicology, Slade or Shayed and the recently launched cutting-edge series, Behind The Label, which unearths never before told stories and casts a lens on the turbulent relations between record labels and musicians.
This year, Nickelodeon celebrated the 20th anniversary of its most iconic and recognizable character in history, SpongeBob SquarePants.
The channel together with the LEGO group also launches the new series, LEGO City Adventures, which is aimed at children aged 8 to 12 years and is loaded with hysterical, action-packed and often absurd slices of urban life.
Nickelodeon additionally welcomes the brand-new animated pre-school series of the adventurous Paddington Bear who makes a return to TV.
The channel line-up will also include The Casagrandes and the series format adaptation of Wonder Park. NickToons will deliver an exclusive format of SpongeBob the Musical Live! for audiences and a behind-the-scenes special of JoJo’s D.R.E.A.M. concert.
Rounding off the kids’ entertainment brands, Nick Jr. will launch a new series, Becca’s Bunch, while continuing to deliver popular favourites with all new episodes of Paw Patrol, Blaze and the Monster Machine, Nella the Princess Knight and Sunny Day.
In addition to its powerful slate of content, VIMN Africa brands also showcase the widest array of hit international tentpoles such as MTV EMAs, MTV VMAs, BET Awards, Soul Train Awards, BET Hip Hop Awards, Black Girls Rock!, Comedy Central Roast and Nickelodeon’s KCAs.
Atte Ayodeji, a Nigerian computer scientist,has developed an artificial intelligence algorithm capable of detecting, counting, grouping and generating healthy hair follicles during hair transplant procedures, an innovation that earned him the Best Innovative Technology award.
Atte Ayodeji
Ayodeji also graduated with a Distinction in his Master of Science (MSc) in Computer Science from Birmingham City University on Friday, adding another milestone to an impressive academic year.
Beyond his award-winning hair transplant innovation, the Nigerian researcher developed a system and framework on Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) as a professional responsibility in the diagnosis of lung cancer.
His dissertation received a silver award at the PGXPO2026 Winter, further highlighting the impact of his research in applying artificial intelligence to healthcare.
Sunday Dare, special adviser on Media and Public Communication to President Tinubu, celebrated Ayodeji’s achievements in a post on X, recalling how he first met him in 2019 during his National Youth Service.
“In 2019 when I became a Minister of the Republic, I met a young man of medium height, genteel with penetrating eyes: Atte Ayodeji. His words rarely come out and he could easily be passed by unnoticed. But I noticed him especially when my SA Kemi Areola brought him to me asking my approval for him to do his Youth Service in my office. I approved. From then on he was unstoppable. His brilliance shown and he developed skills beyond his frame.”
Highlighting Ayodeji’s recent accomplishments, Dare congratulated him saying, “Congratulations Atte. I am proud of you!”
Mr. Joseph Tegbe, minister of Power, has said that the federal government plans to end power sector subsidies from 2027 and that there are no immediate plans for tariff increases.
Mr. Joseph Tegbe, minister of Power
The minister told journalists during the media interactive session at the weekend that the government has announced plans to phase out electricity subsidy payments from 2027 as part of efforts to address mounting liabilities in the power sector.
He explained that the planned removal forms part of the broader reforms aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of the electricity sector, while tackling the financial challenges confronting the industry.
According to the minister, despite the planned subsidy withdrawal, there are no immediate plans to increase electricity tariffs, reassuring consumers that the government is not considering a tariff hike in the short term.
Patience Okala, the National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office has urged African countries to stop exporting raw materials and instead focus on adding value to its natural resources if it is to fully harness the opportunities offered by the African Continental Free Trade Area.
She stated this on Thursday at the Streamsowers & Köhn 20th Anniversary Business Forum, where she stressed that value addition and beneficiation are essential to Africa’s industrialisation and long-term economic growth.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, she said the AfCFTA goes beyond the elimination of tariffs, serving as a framework for industrialisation, value addition, and job creation across the continent.
“AfCFTA is not only about tariffs; it is also about value addition. Africa has to stop exporting raw materials. We need to add value and ensure that beneficiation is done on the continent,” she said.
Okala also said Africa’s economic transformation would depend on the effective implementation of the AfCFTA rather than on the signing of trade agreements alone.
“We have moved beyond negotiations. The success of AfCFTA will be measured by the extent to which businesses can access new markets, trade seamlessly across borders, and benefit from the opportunities created by the agreement,” she said.
She noted that Nigeria had intensified efforts to implement the agreement under the leadership of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, including the development of simplified AfCFTA guides in six languages to help businesses understand and take advantage of opportunities under the trade pact.
Okala called for stronger collaboration among governments, regulators, and the private sector to eliminate barriers to trade and investment and build a truly integrated African market.
“As we move from policy to implementation, our collective responsibility is to ensure that the opportunities created by AfCFTA become practical realities for businesses, particularly MSMEs, women-owned enterprises, and young entrepreneurs across the continent,” she said.
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