The lying Nigerian pay-TV wannabe TStv finally backs off from its fake TV channel claims, its new reduced channel list no longer includes 10 beIN Sports channels with a dozen other channels also finally removed.

The lying Nigerian pay-TV upstart TStv (Telcomm Satellite TV) has finally stopped its fake claims of carrying and offering more than a dozen TV channels on its satellite pay-TV platform that it never had the rights to in the first place.

After a litany of lies, a string of broken promises and several false starting date announcements that all came and went since October, the Abuja based wannabe TV operator mired in a mess of its own making, is finally backing down from its continued theft and piracy of the signals and brand identities of a raft of TV channels it never had any authorised carriage contracts for.

TStv CEO Bright Echefu kept lying to Nigerian consumers even after TStv was exposed as being dishonest about marketing and promoting a pay-TV service with a collection of TV channels it never legally signed carriage deals for.

The beIN Media Group, Turner Broadcasting, Discovery Networks International, Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa), FOX Networks Group Africa and eMedia Investments all directly confirmed to TVwithThinus that none of them have any dealings or contracts with TStv.

The fly-by-night operator TStv lied and claimed it has 10 beIN Sports channels, CNN International, Investigation Discovery IDx, Discovery Science, Eurosport, MTV Base, National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD, Fox Life, FOX Sports, FOX Sports 2 and even e.tv's pan-African channel version eAfrica and eNCA.

The carriage of several more TV channels on TStv turned out to be lies - Fashion One, AMC Networks International's kids channel Jim Jam, Trace Africa, CBS Reality and Scripps Networks Interactive's Fine Living.

The truth is that TStv doesn't have any of these channels, and doesn't have the right to show any of these channels.

Shockingly, TStv kept lying after TVwithThinus and other media exposed the fraud, saying reports that the Qatar based beIN Sports channels won't be on TStv are "rumours" and that TStv has a carriage agreement.

TStv also kept lying and continued with the fake promise of telling Nigerian consumers that it will be showing sport like English Premier League (EPL), UEFA Champions League and other big international soccer tournaments.

These sports rights however MultiChoice Africa and SuperSport already acquired previously for sub-Saharan Africa in exclusive multi-year agreements stretching into the future to be shown on DStv and GOtv.

Now TStv has quietly done away with the beIN sports channels of which it illegally pirated the signals without making any announcement or saying why it is now dropping its fake claims.

After TStv was exposed for claiming and marketing a fake TV channel line-up on its website, TStv took down the list.

TStv has now put up a new channel line-up list without any of the stolen, pirated and fake-claimed channels.

TStv's latest culled channels line-up is greatly reduced from its former false claims and now offers a set of "Mama Africa" film channels in Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa; as well as a "Grande" branded series of channels ranging from Grande film channels like Grande Novella and Grande Bolly to Grande Series 1 and Grande Series Asia.

Kids channels listed on TStv are now only two: A1 Kids and A1 Kids Junior.

Music channels are gutted to Hits TV, Grande Gospel, Hits Africa and 360 Tune Box.

The lofty fake promise of a raft of beIN Sports channels has been replaced by 8 non-descript "Grande" sports channels named Grande Sports Highlights, Grande Sports 1 to 6 and a Grande Sports Entertainment channel.

Awkwardly, Nigeria's idiotic minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed has been quiet about the TStv fraud and widening scandal.

In October Lai Mohammed - clueless about the inner cross-continental workings governing content acquisition and channel carriage agreement contracts in the pay-TV industry - announced a 3-year "tax relief" that he's granting to TStv, not knowing that the wannabe pay-TV operator is making false claims and stealing content.

TStv CONTENT SCANDAL: TStv's list of lies over TV channels grows - it has no deals to carry channels from Discovery Networks, Viacom International or FOX Networks either.

TStv, Nigeria's new pay-TV operator, is engulfed in a growing content piracy scandal over false promises and lying about channels and content that it has no contracts for, with multiple more channel and content distributors who are coming forward to deny that they have any carriage deals with TStv.


UPDATE Friday 13 October 2017 19:00 - TStv has now taken down its "All Channels" list on its website, although it can still be seen and accessed on the internet cache of the TStv webpage.


Last week Turner Broadcasting System confirmed to TVwithThinus that TStv doesn't have and isn't allowed to advertise and market CNN International that TStv claims it has a right to.

Qatar's beIN Media Group, also confirmed to TVwithThinus that TStv has no rights to its 10 beIN Sports channels.

Now several more content and channel providers are confirming that TStv is making fake claims about a fast-growing string of TV channels on its pay-TV platform that it simply doesn't have and isn't allowed to broadcast.

After its 1 October launch the white TStv decoders are unavailable for sale with TStv CEO Bright Echefu that on Saturday at the company's green-painted head office in Abuja, Nigeria, suddenly moved the date for its "commercial availability" to 1 November and again repeated false claims that it has a right to CNN International and the beIN Sports channels.

TVwithThinus can reveal that TStv (Telcomm Satellite TV) that on its website displays its list of "all channels" to potential customers is lying not just over having CNN International and 10 beIN Sports channels but also has no right or contracts to carry TV channels like FOX, National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD, Discovery Science, Investigation Discovery, MTV Base, EuroSport, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2 or Nickelodeon.

These are the channels TVwithThinus has so far been able to confirm having no carriage agreements with TStv despite them being advertised by TStv, with several other channel operators who have not yet responded to media enquiries.

On its website TStv also lies and says it "will show the EPL matches and other soccer leagues live" - pay-TV sport content rights that MultiChoice and SuperSport secured exclusively for DStv in the sub-Saharan Africa region.

TStv hasn't responded to multiple media enquiries made since last week seeking comment and asking about the growing TStv content piracy scandal.

In late June the satellite operator ABS, headquartered in Bermuda, in a press statement from its CEO Tom Choi, announced that it has signed a multi-transponder satellite agreement with TStv to deliver its direct-to-home (DTH) service in Nigeria on the ABS-3A satellite.

ABS publicist Penny Hill didn't respond to media enquiries seeking comment from ABS over TStv claiming to carry TV channels it doesn't have authorisation to.

Global video content providers supplying news, entertainment and sports channels have warned TStv to stop using their content and to immediately stop the display and use of their brand logos, with Turner Broadcasting System and the beIN Media Group that have already sent TStv cease and desist letters.

TStv lied to Nigerian media in a press conference and in statements, as well as to consumers on social media, claiming that the cease and desist letter "are fake", although TVwithThinus confirmed with the content providers directly who emphasised that the letters are authentic.


No agreements with TStv to carry channels
Turner Broadcasting System that runs CNN International told TVwithThinus that "Turner does not have an agreement with TStv to carry CNN and did send a notification letter to the platform not to distribute the channel".

beIN in response to a media enquiry told TVwithThinus that "TStv does not have authorisation from beIN to carry our channels, or use our trademarks. We take this matter very seriously and will take the necessary action to ensure that our intellectual property rights are not violated."

Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) that runs MTV Base told TVwithThinus that TStv has no right to MTV Base or kids channel Nickelodeon.

"We are aware of the situation and that the TStv website is currently carrying certain Viacom trademarks: MTV Base and Nickelodeon."

"We are currently investigating the matter and confirm that we do not have any contracts with TStv - either through MTV Networks Africa or any other Viacom entity. We became aware of their claim to carry our channels a short while ago".

FOX Networks Group Africa responsible for the FOX entertainment channel, National Geographic, Nat GEO WILD and the FOX Sports channels told TVwithThinus that TStv isn't allowed to have its channels and has no carriage deals for any of these channels

"Despite advertised claims regarding the availability of FOX channels, FOX does not have an agreement with TStv regarding the distribution of the channels, but remains confident that TStv will normalise the situation prior to launch of the service to ensure the consistency between platform content claims and subscriber expectations," said FOX Networks Group Africa in response to a media enquiry.

Discovery Networks International (DNI) also confirmed to TVwithThinus that TStv isn't allowed to have any of its Discovery channels like Discovery Science, Investigation Discovery (IDx), TLC Entertainment or Eurosport.

Discovery Networks International confirms that they "have no agreement with TStv to broadcast their channels".

Meanwhile other pay-TV operators are aware of TStv's misleading claims to consumers and Africa's TV industry and they are concerned about infringement of secured content rights - some of which were acquired exclusively - as well as things like copyright and content piracy.

TVwithThinus understands that MultiChoice Africa is aware of, and monitoring, the situation although it declined to comment specifically on TStv.

In response to a media enquiry, MultiChoice Africa says that "MultiChoice can't comment on another provider as we are not privy to their channel agreements or business plans as they are an independent operator and thus this information would be confidential to them". 

The avalanche of TStv (bad) news continues as TStv abruptly moves its goalpost to 1 November; people can't buy decoders; TStv keeps lying over carriage deals and stealing content.

■ On Saturday TStv CEO Bright Echefu resurfaced to say that TStv will now suddenly only start its commercial service on 1 November after it launched a week ago on 1 October.
"Commercialization of our decoders will resume officially on 1 November". Meanwhile Bright Echefu again lies and says TStv has entered into agreements with Turner's CNN International and beIN Media Group's 10 beIN channels.

■ The ugly past of TStv CEO Bright Echefu.
now accused by Nigerians of "employing a con trick to snare potential TStv subscribers" with fake offerings.

■ A week after TStv's launch nobody can lay a hand on a TStv decoder with no date from TStv of when its decoders will be available.
While potential TStv customers are furious, TStv tells people that the unavailability of TStv decoders anywhere is "as a result of complaints of non-availability of dealer / retailer outlets in some areas and some dealers who are still in the process of accreditation" ... whatever that means.

■ Only dummies of TStv decoders were used for the "symbolic" unveiling at the first official 1 October launch that has now been postponed to 1 November.

- Is the white TStv decoder a set-top box or a freezer?
Nigerians mock the unavailable "Nitendo Game Cube" and are cautioned not to get high on TStv.

■ This green painted hub is TStv's head office in Abuja, Nigeria.

■ And TStv that doesn't respond to media enquiries has to douse the flames saying that no, those online adverts for TStv jobs are fake.

■ TStv has a (totally unrealistic!) target of 1 million TStv decoders in home in the first quarter.

■ An idiotic and uninformed Nigerian broadcast "expert" says TStv is "aiming to match" the content from MultiChoice and its amazing DStv offering.
Uhm. no. Not if you steal channels.

■ It's an uphill battle for pay-TV operators in Africa to make a dent against MultiChoice's DStv.
New Nigerian rival TStv is already lying to customers and stealing channels like CNN International and beIN Sports with content that it isn't authorised to have.

Nigeria's newly launched pay-TV operator TStv engulfed in content piracy scandal for stealing CNN, beIN channels; ordered to 'cease and desist'.

TStv, Nigeria's newly launched pay-TV operator, is engulfed in scandal just days after it's launch on 1 October for illegally stealing and pirating content and TV channels that it is not allowed to carry on its platform and with channel providers who have sent the company "cease and desist" letters.

TStv (Telcomm Satellite TV) that launched a week ago in Nigeria with CEO Bright Echefu is mired in scandal and trouble for tacking TV channels onto its offering for which it doesn't have clearance and carriage contracts.

TStv is selling decoders and a service to Nigerians, promoting it with content that it is not allowed to have.

By marketing its service with content it's not allowed to have, TStv has become embroiled in massive copyright infringement. TStv didn't respond to media enquiries made the past week.

Meanwhile global video content providers supplying news, entertainment and sports channels have warned TStv to stop using their content and to immediately stop the display and use of their brand logos.

Turner Broadcasting System send TStv a letter saying it's not allowed to carry CNN International and that "the distribution and broadcast of this channel without authorisation will infringe our intellectual property rights and constitute acts of piracy".

By Friday TStv still carried CNN and displayed its channel logo under its list of channels available on its bouquet.

Another channel provider, Qatar's beIN Media Group, also told TStv in a similar cease and desist letter to stop re-airing its string of beIN channels also carried illegally on TStv. "Other parties are not permitted to copy and rebroadcast beIN without express authorisation".

"Other parties are not permitted to use beIN trademarks without express authorisation". It's also been sent to Nigeria's Copyright Commission (NCC).

By Friday TStv still carried and promoted 10 beIN channels on its website as being part of its offering.

TStv on social media and Facebook slammed the letters as frivolous and fake, saying "We wish to inform Nigerians that the letters are fake and were prepared basically to bias Nigerians. Kindly disregard the said frivolous letters".

In response to a media enquiry a spokesperson for Turner Broadcasting System for Africa confirmed to TVwithThinus that TStv is breaking the law and carrying CNN illegally.

Turner Broadcasting told TVwithThinus that "Turner does not have an agreement with TStv to carry CNN and did send a notification letter to the platform not to distribute the channel".

beIN in response to a media enquiry told TVwithThinus on Friday that beIN recently became aware that TStv intends to launch in Nigeria and is carrying beIN channels without authorisation.

beIN confirms that a "a cease and desist letter was sent to TStv by our legal director last week".

"Since then we have become further aware of media reports, in which TStv has claimed this letter is fake and that it has an agreement with beIN."

"Please be aware that the letter is certainly genuine, and TStv does not have authorisation from beIN to carry our channels, or use our trademarks. We take this matter very seriously and will take the necessary action to ensure that our intellectual property rights are not violated," says beIN.

It means that TStv is blatantly lying to Nigerian customers.

Nigerian customers who sign up and pay money to the pirate operator TStv now risk losing their money - and content TStv "sells" as fake marketing - should TStv be shut down due to its illegal activities.