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Broadcasting

Modella Wins First BBNaija Showmax Task

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Thursday night saw all 24 BBNaija housemates gather in the arena for their first Showmax task, which Modella won.

For the Showmax task, Biggie asked each level to split into two groups. Each group was expected to choose a genre, develop an idea for a Showmax original, and present a scene from their show to Biggie. Dotun, Sheggz, Daniella, and Khalid were called out and designated as the representatives of their groups.

Dotun and his team had the honour of starting the night’s task, presenting a comedic drama titled ‘The Barbecue Man’. The play was centred on the barbecue man who chose to settle Mama Ejiro (Allysyn), and Papa Ejiro’s (GiddyFia) marital issues as well as Mama Bobo (Doyin) and Papa Bobo’s (Dotun) fights by pimping the women to Ejike (Deji), a struggling artist in the community.

The second buzzer’s sound marked the end of the first team’s performance, and it was Khalid and his team’s turn to present their original. Their comedic drama, titled ‘Love and War’ showed a session between a marriage therapist and three couples.

The first couple, The Jacobs (Christy O and Khalid), had issues due to financial constraints, followed by the Emekas (Ilebaye and Kess). The marital woes of the latter stemmed from the husband’s inability to satisfy his young wife sexually. The last couple (Amaka and Groovy) had problems due to the wife’s local fashion style. At the end of the drama, Biggie commended the play and described it as a good performance,

Next up was Sheggz’s team. Their performance was a reality show titled ‘Big Brother Season 7 Next Step’. The show followed the drama at Bella and Sheggz’s traditional wedding, where two of the groom’s exes, Diana and Chi Chi, disrupted the couple’s joining. The bride’s best friend, Chomzy, added more drama after objecting to the marriage. Eloswag acted as the MC and photographer, while Hermes was the groom’s brother. In Biggie’s words, “it was indeed a chaotic wedding”.

Daniella’s group presented last. The team opened their performance, titled Alakala (Nightmare), with a poem. The horror drama followed Modella, who found herself in a strange land with PharmSavi and was tormented by the Grim Reaper (Cyph) and a demon (Phyna). She was rescued from the strange land by a woman (Daniella) who pushed her to use her imagination. The mini-play emphasised the power of imagination. Biggie described their drama as a good performance.

To round up the night of great performances, Big Brother recognised the best act from each group. Adekunle emerged as the best act from Dotun’s team, while Groovy was the best act from Khalid’s team. On Sheggz’s team, Biggie mentioned that the group had an array of good acts, and the best performers were Diana, Hermes and Bella.

Biggie also announced that Daniella’s team had a couple of awesome performers, but Daniella and Modella were the best.

Overall, Modella emerged as the individual winner of the Showmax Task and the content creator won herself a cameo in an upcoming Showmax original.

As a reward for the house level with the overall win, Biggie rewarded Level 2 housemates with some time in the pool house.

Showmax is a standalone streaming service that offers you various award-winning content. If you love amazing shows like The Real Housewives of Lagos, Ghana Jollof, the best of HBO movies and series, kids’ content or Live Football matches. Simply signup on to www.showmax.com and get started.

The BBNaija experience on Showmax for fans this year is on the next level with lots of BBNaija content, including the exclusive talk show BBNaija S7: The Buzz, hosted by media personality Toke Makinwa, the Eviction Vodcast, and Secret Diaries, which are short clips from the Diary Room, as well as Daily and Weekly Highlights episodes to download to your phone to watch later.

For the second year in a row, BBNaija fans across sub-Saharan Africa, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland enjoy front-row access to all the activities in the Big Brother houses on Showmax. You can catch all the drama from as low as ₦1,200 on mobile.


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Broadcasting

EFCC Re-Arraigns Echefu, TStv CEO for Allegedly Defrauding Ex-Minister of N1Bn, $1.3m

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Bright Echefu, chief executive officer, Telecom Satellites Limited (TStv), and three co‑defendants appeared before the Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday on an amended twelve‑count indictment brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The charges allege money laundering, tax evasion, and investment fraud involving approximately ₦1 billion and $1.3 million.

EFCC Re-Arraigns Echefu, TStv CEO for Allegedly Defrauding Ex-Minister of N1Bn, $1.3m

Bright Echefu, chief executive officer, TStv

In addition to Echefu, the defendants are TStv Executive Director, Felix Igboanuga, Telecom Satellites Limited itself, and Briechberg Investment Ltd.

According to the April 5, 2025, amended charge sheet the EFCC accuses the quartet of defrauding Mr. Tanimu Turaki, Managing Director of Kalsiyam Global and former Minister of Special Duties, alongside BYI General Limited, out of a combined investment of ₦1 billion and $1.3 million. The commission has also included a ₦66 million alleged tax default.

The revised indictment lists:

Count 2: ₦33,909,542.47 in unremitted Company Income Tax

Count 3: ₦13,519,382.00 in unremitted VAT

Count 4: ₦19,488,860.00 in unremitted PAYE

Counts 5–12: Various fraud‑related transactions, including ₦380 million from Kalsiyam Farm, ₦400 million from BYI General Ltd and $1.35 million in loans secured under false pretences.

All defendants pleaded not guilty once again. At the hearing before Justice Mohammed Umar, Echefu’s lead counsel, Senior Advocate Eyitayo Fatogun, informed the court of ongoing settlement discussions with the complainants.

“There are moves to settle this matter and there was a meeting on Saturday between myself and the Nominal Complainant as it is about investment,” Fatogun stated.

“The Defendants have paid some money and I was thinking that the matter be adjourned for report of settlement.”

EFCC counsel A.S. Tomwell confirmed receipt of those payments but emphasized the necessity of entering a plea before considering any adjournment. The court thus ordered the formal reading of the charges and adjourned the trial to October 15, 2025.


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More Woes for MultiChoice as Ghana Orders 30% Price Cut

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The government of Ghana has ordered MultiChoice Ghana to reduce DSTV subscription costs by 30%, noting the significant appreciation of local currency and growing dissatisfaction with current rates.

This comes as Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has fined MultiChoice Nigeria ₦766,242,500 for breaching the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA).

According to Mr Babatunde Bamigboye, head Legal, Enforcement & Regulations, NDPC, the investigation, which commenced in the second quarter of 2024, was triggered by suspected breach of privacy rights of Multichoice subscribers and illegal cross-border transfer of personal data of Nigerians.

MultiChoice, which operates across Africa, continues to lose revenue and subscribers.

Ghana’s minister of communication, digital technology, and innovation, Samuel Nartey George, made the call last week during a meeting with a DSTV team led by Dr. Keabetswe Modimoeng, group executive for regulatory and corporate affairs.

According to a ministry statement, George said the government’s responsibility is to respond to Ghanaians’ concerns over high DSTV pricing and outdated content offers.

The Minister pointed out that despite a 30% increase in the cedi’s value over the past five months; DSTV prices have not reflected the positive economic trend.

‎The statement went on to say the minister is therefore calling for a 30% price reduction to match the cedi’s appreciation and to pass on economic benefits to consumers.

According to the statement, while MultiChoice has implemented promotional packages, people prefer a direct price reduction over temporary discounts.

George said feedback from public engagements revealed that many users are dissatisfied with DSTV’s content, describing it as outdated save for Premier League football. They also believe that the current cost is not justified.

‎”To address the concerns, he said MultiChoice Ghana has until July 21 to formally respond to the government’s request. The Minister expects a concrete proposal by this date, allowing time for further engagement before the end of July,” the statement said.

‎In response, Dr. Modimoeng acknowledged the government’s concerns and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to dialogue.

The MultiChoice team reacted positively to the minister’s request and committed to provide input by July 21st. They emphasised the need of balancing public interest and business sustainability.

This is the continent’s latest pricing conundrum for the pan-African pay-TV business, following fee disputes with Nigerian and Malawian authorities.

In Ghana, the demand for price cuts comes as MultiChoice is under pressure, having lost revenue and subscribers in the financial year that ended March 31, 2025. Last month, the company announced its financial year-end results.

In a statement to shareholders last month on the Stock Exchange News Service, the company said the past two financial years have been a period of significant financial disruption for economies, corporates and consumers across Sub-Saharan Africa due to challenging macro-economic factors.

Combined with the impact of structural industry changes in video entertainment, such as the rise of piracy, streaming services and social media, this has materially affected the overall performance of the MultiChoice Group, it noted.

Over this period, MultiChoice said the group lost 2.8 million active linear subscribers and had to absorb a R10.2 billion negative impact on its top line due to local currency depreciation against the US dollar.

For the year, the company reveals that linear subscribers were down 1.2 million, or 8% year-on-year, to 14.5 million active subscribers, with the loss evenly split between South African (600 000) and rest of Africa (600 000).

 


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NDPC Slaps Multichoice with ₦766M Fine for Data Privacy Violations

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Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has fined MultiChoice Nigeria ₦766,242,500 for breaching the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA).

NDPC Slaps Multichoice with ₦766M Fine for Data Privacy Violations

NDPC is a public institution that processes data in furtherance of its mandate as Nigeria’s data protection authority and relies on recognised lawful bases for data processing, such as consent, legal obligation, and contract.

The fine was contained in a statement signed by Mr Babatunde Bamigboye, head Legal, Enforcement & Regulations, NDPC.

According to him, the investigation, which commenced in the second quarter of 2024, was triggered by suspected breach of privacy rights of Multichoice subscribers and illegal cross-border transfer of personal data of Nigerians.

“The NDPC found, among others, that Multichoice violated the data privacy rights of subscribers and their friends who are not necessarily subscribers.

The Commission also found that Multichoice carries out illegal cross-border transfer of personal data relating to data subjects in Nigeria.

The depth of data processing by Multichoice is patently intrusive, unfair, unnecessary, and disproportionate.

This is a grave affront to fundamental right to privacy as enshrined in Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In line with its standard remediation procedure, the Commission directed Multichoice to carry out appropriate remedial measures.

However, the Commission found the measures undertaken by Multichoice in this regard unsatisfactory.

For want of cooperation, the Commission has directed Multichoice to pay ₦766,242,500 for violating the Nigerian Data Protection Act.

“Nigeria is entitled to protect her citizens and data sovereignty under both international and extant municipal laws, as these have far-reaching implication for rule of law, national security, and economic growth.” the statement said.

Babatunde also revealed that, Vincent Olatunji, national Commissioner, NDPC, has directed that all outlets through which Multichoice is collecting personal data of Nigerian citizens should be investigated for non-compliance.

He added that any outlet that processes personal data in violation of the NDP Act is liable to penalty under the Act.

 


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