Nigeria's National Broadcasting Commission orders MultiChoice Nigeria to sublicence some of its DStv channels to Metro Digital that wants SuperSport and English Premier League content.

by Thinus Ferreira

Nigeria's National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has ordered MultiChoice Nigeria to sublicence some of its DStv TV channels to Metro Digital which asked MultiChoice for over 50 of its TV channels, including SuperSport and English Premier League (EPL) content.

In a letter sent on 25 October 2022 to MultiChoice Nigeria CEO John Ugbe, George Obi, NBC head of legal, writes that MultiChoice Nigeria is "hereby directed to comply with the 6th edition of the NBC Code as amended pursuant to Metro Digital's request for channels sublicensing as ordered by the Federal Court of Appeal".

Metro TV has been embroiled in a three year legal tussle with MultiChoice Nigeria to force the pay-TV operator to resell some of its content and TV channels to other operators.

Dr Ifeanyi Nwafor, Metro Digital managing director, says "The growth of the broadcast industry in Nigeria has been limited due to monopolistic practices of the dominant player in the industry. All indigenous companies licensed in the last 20 years did not succeed because of these practices which includes content exclusivity and warehousing".

"The federal government of Nigeria, realising the inherent danger, outlawed foreign and domestic acquisition of contents on the basis of exclusivity, through amendments to the Broadcast Code. Furthermore, licensees and broadcasters are obligated to sublicense channels to other licensees or broadcasters for commercially agreeable fees."

"The end of monopoly in Nigeria's broadcasting industry will enhance competition, innovation and quality of service delivery. The industry will experience rapid growth and consumers will benefit from the competitive pricing that follows."

Ifeanyi Nwafor says it commends the NBC for "repositioning of the industry and ending the monopolistic practices that have held the industry down for a long time".

Planning to introduce a 'TV nudity ban' bill and furious over the sex-filled series, Nigeria's government lies and says its taking MultiChoice and M-Net's Big Brother Naija to rival StarTimes - although it doesn't have the format rights.

Saying it plans to introduce a "TV nudity ban" bill and furious over the crude, lewd and lascivious latest season of Big Brother in Nigeria beamed across sub-Sahara Africa on DStv, the Nigerian government lied over the weekend saying that it is in negotiations with the MultiChoice pay-TV rival, China's StarTimes, to take Big Brother Naija to StarTimes for a version that "that will reflect the true Nigerian culture".

Neither the Nigerian government nor China's StarTimes has or owns the format for Big Brother that belongs to the EndemolShine Group.

The format licensing rights to do a customised Big Brother Naija was acquired and is being held by M-Net, M-Net West Africa and the MultiChoice Group, which means that no African government like Nigeria nor StarTimes can do another Big Brother Naija version or something resembling it even if they wanted to.

Both the Nigerian government and Nigeria's National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) have condemned the nudity and sexual content in the latest 4th season of Big Brother Nigeria that produced from a studio in Lagos for the first time since 2006 and shown by MultiChoice Nigeria in that country, but also across the rest of Africa on DStv.

Segun Runsewe, director-general of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), and Gloria Shoda, president of Nigeria's National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) have laid complaints about Big Brother Naija at Nigeria's notorious censorship board, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

Segun Runsewe is also pushing for a "TV nudity ban" bill for Nigerian television that previously failed, to ban and punish so-called "sex acts" broadcast on television, saying "We are going to represent that bill".

"I will take up the issue of Big Brother Naija. I have spoken with officials of the National Broadcasting Commission because what is going on now, is terrible. Having love affairs on the screen is not part of our own culture at all."

"Let me tell Nigerians that a new Big Brother Naija is on its way and we are working with StarTimes. We are doing a Big Brother Naija that will reflect the true Nigerian culture. We are already working on it. All that will be eaten there will be Nigerian food. The dresses will be Nigerian dresses."

In 2008 Nigeria had a so-called Nudity Bill entitled "A Bill for an Act to punish and prohibit nudity, sexual intimidation and other-related offences in Nigeria" which went nowhere.

Gloria Shoda who apparently watched the Big Brother Naija "sex content, called it "disgusting" and said that "Having live sex on stage is the thing affecting my sensibility and it is impacting negatively on the young children coming up".

"Does it mean that they [contestants] can't abstain from sex for three months? I'm condemning the sex content on Big Brother Niaja," said Gloria Shoda over the weekend.

On Monday morning MultiChoice Africa was asked for comment about the Nigerian government interfering with a private pay-TV company's television production, and for the Nigerian government lying about doing a Big Brother Niaja version with rival StarTimes to which neither has any format licensing rights.


MultiChoice Africa: 'Not aware of any filed complaint or alternative show'
TVwithThinus asked MultiChoice Africa for comment on both the Nigerian government allegedly filing a complaint with the NBC, and the Nigerian government's claim of starting a Big Brother Naija version with China's StarTimes Nigeria.

"We have not received any notification of an official enquiry into Big Brother Naija so we are not aware of any filed complaint," said MultiChoice Africa.

"For the second question, we are also not aware of any plans the government might have with regards to the production of an alternative reality show."

"We remain committed to being Africa’s number one storyteller for our customers. We’re proud of our investment in the Big Brother Naija show that not only delivers exciting, quality local video entertainment content that resonates with viewers across Africa but also ensures that local talent is showcased on a platform that positively contributes towards igniting Africa’s creative industries."

Nigerian doctor seeks Big Brother Naija interdict; wants MultiChoice to stop 'obnoxious broadcast' on DStv because his kids and family can't stop watching the 'repugnant' reality show.

There's more controversy for the latest season of Africa's Big Brother TV show with the second "obnoxious" season of Big Brother Naija seen across Africa on DStv that's now being dragged to court for allegedly being so addictive that a Nigerian doctor's kids and family just can't stop watching the show.

Dr Olusola Omoju has filed a motion seeking an injunction - wanting MultiChoice to stop broadcasting Big Brother Naija on the DStv and GOtv platforms with immediate effect because his "family members and other dependents have become avid watchers of the Big Brother show".

The doctor says if Big Brother Naija continues to be shown, his "efforts as a father in bringing up my children" will be jeopardised, since he seeks "to ensure the highest standards of morality in my home"

It's not clear from the court papers if the doctor lost his DStv remote control and TV set's remote control for the age restricted show that employs a built-in digital parental lock-and-block mechanism, or if the TV's wall socket or the set's on-off button in his house is no longer working and forcing the family to watch the show.

If the interdict were to be granted, the Nigerian television censorship will once again affect the entire African broadcasting industry and African viewers far beyond just Nigeria since the Big Brother Naija channel and various highlights programmes are broadcast on DStv across sub-Saharan Africa in several African nations where viewers clamour to watch the reality series.

Last month Nigerians were outraged when they discovered the "secret" that Big Brother Naija is actually filmed in South Africa in the same camera house used for South Africa's Big Brother Mzansi, the pan-African version Big Brother Africa, as well as some other African countries' versions, all making use of the same already constructed and customised studio facility in Linden, Johannesburg.

Three weeks ago controversy again flared up when the show was marred by yet another sexual assault on a housemate when a male housemate groped and fondled a woman while she was sleeping, after which he was expelled.

According to the filed court papers, that naively only lists MultiChoice Nigeria and Nigeria's National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) - excluding Endemol Shine Africa that's the actual production company and M-Net as the actual broadcaster - dr Olusola Omoju says Big Brother Naija was included on his DStv without his consent.

He says he enjoys the "sport, religious, educational and entertainment TV stations available on the DStv plan" but that Big Brother Naija "promotes indecency, immorality and obscenity and is repugnant to the rich cultural heritage of the Nigerian people".

The doctor made and gave the court a compact disk video of a male housemate fondling a woman's breast "openly", a disk showing a man fondling a woman while she slept, and a disk to show that "some housemates have been known to walk around exposing their breasts and taking their baths in a state of near nudity (called "shower hour").

The "shower hour" footage is likely taken from earlier Big Brother Africa versions since MultiChoice Nigeria said that the second season of Big Brother Naija won't be showing "shower hour" again.

The court papers alleges that Big Brother Naija was made available on the doctor's DStv bouquet without his consent, that the practice of an age restriction and "a special code to enable subscribers [to] choose whether they wanted access to the show or not" isn't used this season, and that MultiChoice Nigeria "downplays the importance of family life and broadcast sexually charged acts".

The doctor says that if the "obnoxious broadcast of Big Brother Naija reality show is allowed to continue, this may result in the total collapse of morality in public places and in the society at large".