Broadcasting
X3M Ideas Announced as Founding Member of UN Women’s Newly Launched Unstereotype Alliance Nigerian Chapter
X3M Ideas, leading African advertising agency, proudly announces that it joins the core membership of the UN Women’s Nigerian Chapter of Unstereotype Alliance – a global coalition committed to ending harmful stereotypes in media and advertising.
The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women internationally, UN Women, is launching the Unstereotype Alliance in partnership with X3M Ideas as a thought and action platform that serves to unite the influence of the advertising, media, and marketing community as a force for transformative change.
X3M Ideas joins other leaders in their respective industries including First Bank of Nigeria, SO&U LTD, Unilever Nigeria, and Guinness Nigeria who initially championed the build-up process that led to the launch of the Nigerian Chapter.
The Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) and Women in Successful Careers (WISCAR) also join the chapter as allies, bringing their wealth of influence and reach to the Chapter.
Steve Babaeko, Founder and CEO of X3M Ideas, commented on the announcement, saying: “Nigeria is the arrowhead of the exciting African creative industry. We carry a lot of power in the areas of music, film, advertising, and popular culture as a whole.
“With that power comes the responsibility to lead from the front and open the conversation around closing gender gaps and also change the narrative of how women are portrayed in advertising.”
“Also, as the President of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria, success for me is when every creative takes a pause to ponder if the scenario painted in a story board furthers the cause of not stereotyping women or adds fuel to an already raging fire,” he added.
The Nigerian Chapter recognises tackling stereotypes as a social imperative with a strong business case. In 2020, an estimated 430 million USD was spent by Nigeria’s advertising industry. The core membership seeks to further tap into Nigeria’s wide and diverse market to ensure positive and transformative representation.
Leveraging the reach of the United Nations’ 193 Member States, the Unstereotype Alliance provides a global connectedness for members with a shared commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 for gender equality. Nigeria is the 11th National Chapter and the 3rd in Africa, in addition to Australia, Brazil, Japan, India, Kenya, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey, UAE, and UK.
Speaking on the need for the Nigerian Chapter, UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Comfort Lamptey, said, “Nigeria has an important role to play in shifting negative stereotypes across the board – from women’s equal and meaningful participation in leadership to the role of boys and men in ending gender inequality.
“The Nigerian Chapter brings to the global coalition, a range of leading brands who recognise the importance of shifting attitudes around gender, disability, and ethnicity to not only drive the industry market but to achieve sustainable development.
“This Chapter is not only significant for Nigeria but for the whole continent given Nigeria’s position and influence in Africa.”
With statistics provided by UN Women showing that almost a third of Nigerian women report having experienced physical violence, that representation of women in governance is amongst the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, and that 40% of Nigerians believe that men should be paid more than women for the same job, the Nigerian Chapter’s priority is to use advertising to depict positive and equal portrayals of women and girls in all forms of media.
The industry must reject these harmful stereotypes, especially gender stereotypes, to pave the way for gender equality across Nigeria and, in turn, the world.
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
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.
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.
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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