Broadcasting
WIPO Nigeria Office Boosts Creative Industry Development
Establishment of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Nigeria Office (WNO) last year has benefited Nigeria immensely, impacting positively on the development of copyright and other intellectual property industries in the country.
Mr. John O. Asein, Director-General of Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), disclosed this in his remarks on the activities of WIPO Nigeria Office in its one year of operation.
The Director-General who led a team of directors on a visit to the WIPO Nigeria Office at the United Nations Organisation (UNO) House in Abuja recently, commended the member States of WIPO for approving the Nigerian Office as one of the two external offices of the international organisation in Africa.
According to him, “the establishment of the WNO has brought the services of WIPO closer to the industries and people who are the ultimate beneficiaries of its services. It has also helped Nigeria immensely in rebuilding the intellectual property (IP) ecosystem for sustainable development”.
He commended the WNO for supporting the various activities of IP-related agencies, industry practitioners, the academic community and other relevant stakeholder groups, especially in the areas of building respect for IP as a tool of development.
The Director-General also commended the Head of the WNO for his tireless efforts in the discharge of his duties and expressed delight at the mutually beneficial partnership existing between the Commission and the WNO.
In his remarks, Mr. Oluwatobiloba Moody, the Head of WIPO Nigeria Office, observed that the NCC has contributed substantially to the success of the activities of WIPO in the country and expressed hope that the Commission would continue to assist as a major focal intellectual property agency in Nigeria.
Mr. Moody commended the technical and professional input of the NCC to the growth of the creative industry in the country.
He said he looked forward to more collaboration between the NCC and the WIPO Nigeria Office in promoting awareness, training and capacity building in the field of IP across the country.
He expressed appreciation to the Director-General and his team for the visit.
A notable feature of the visit was the presentation by the DG NCC of a statuette of an eagle as a gift to commemorate one year of the operation of the WNO.
The Director-General was accompanied by the following Heads of Departments of NCC: Dr. Idowu Ogunkuade, Director, Administration; Mr. Mike Akpan, Director, Nigerian Copyright Academy (NCA); Mr. Vincent A. Oyefeso, Director, Public Affairs and Mr. Emeka Ogbonna, Director, Legal.
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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