Tag Archives: Maimuna Jimada

Multichoice ‘to lose NBC licence’

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MultiChoice Nigeria may be forced to stop running its pay TV networks DSTV and GOtv after reports suggested it would not be able to renew its licence when it expires next June.

The company has allegedly received a letter from the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) stating that the licence issued to it by NBC in 2014 would not be renewed because it was not in line with Digital Switch Over white paper.

NBC spokeswoman Maimuna Jimada said: “In line with the government’s white paper on the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting, after June 2019, pay DTT operators would no longer be licensed to operate as both content providers and signal distributors. They will henceforth have to be carried by the licensed signal distributors.”

To continue operations in 2019, MultiChoice will have to go to licensed signal distribution companies Pinnacle Communications Ltd or ITS.

Content Nigeria has yet to receive a response to a request for comment from MultiChoice Nigeria.

Prior to receiving the alleged letter, MultiChoice had been accused of overcharging Nigerian subscribers by increasing its prices and offering inflexible subscription options.

MultiChoice Nigeria began operations in 1993 with pay TV platform DSTV. It has since expanded to become one of the leading broadcasting companies in Nigeria, with its pay TV platforms DSTV and GOtv.

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NBC prepares for Africast 2018

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International trade event Africast is set to hold its 12th biennial conference of Africa broadcasters and exhibitors in Abuja this month.

Maimuna Jimada

The international trade conference and exhibition runs between October 23 and 25 in the Ladi Kwali Hall at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers.

The event is aimed at providing a platform for manufacturers of broadcasting equipment with the opportunity to showcase their products and services. It is also a way for broadcast professionals to be informed about the latest trends in broadcasting in the international market.

Launched in 1996 by Nigeria’s National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Africast is aimed at professionals, academics and policy makers. Focusing on The Dynamics of Broadcasting in the Digital Era, the 2018 event will also discuss how best digital switch-over can be delivered across Africa.

Nigerian companies at the event will include Channels TV, Zoommobile Telecomms, Viewer Communications, Zuma Radio, BT4 Media Group and Voice of Nigeria.

Maimuna Jimada, coordinator of the event and senior officer at NBC, said: “Africast has fast become the biggest and most comprehensive broadcast and media industry event on the continent and offers a unique platform for knowledge sharing and networking for digital broadcasters, broadcast regulators, communicators, broadcast content providers, equipment manufacturers and vendors, policy makers and other stakeholders from all over Nigeria, Africa and the rest of the world.

“At Africast 2018, our guests will experience three days of varied participation of up to 1000-plus delegates from across the globe. It is a platform for world-class exposition, showcasing the very best in creativity, innovation and technological advancements in Africa’s broadcast and media ecosystem.”

There will be keynote presentations, discussions, expert roundtables, networking opportunities, masterclasses, a content market with exclusive screenings of African content and an expo showcasing the latest broadcast and media technologies. Exhibitors from countries including China and Japan will attend.

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NBC fines nets for code breaches

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Nigeria’s National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has issued fines to two TV stations, ITV in Jalingo and IBC (Orient TV) in Owerri, for breaching the country’s broadcasting code.

Maimuna Jimada

The channels were fined N100,000 and N50,000, respectively.

NBC’s head of public affairs Maimuna Jimada said the stations were being penalised for their breach of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code and for airing programmes that feature vulgar lyrics, hate speech and unverifiable claims.

According to Jimada, all of these breaches were committed in the third quarter of 2017. Poor training of staff and editors was partly to blame for these breaches of ethics and the broadcast code, the NBC exec added.

Many staff at the stations are either untrained or undertrained and don’t know which words, videos and claims are off-limits for broadcast, leading to uncensored music videos, talkshows and movies that breach the broadcasting code.

Part of NBC’s duty is to organise regular training and refresher courses for staff at TV stations.

Speaking at a press conference, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said: “The nation looks up to the NBC to restore sanity to the broadcasting industry. The Commission cannot afford to do any less at this critical time. It cannot afford to fail the nation.”

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