Broadcasting
NCC, CIPPON Partner to Check Copyright Piracy in Printing Industry
The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) and the Chartered Institute of Professional Printers of Nigeria (CIPPON) have renewed their commitment to fine-tuning the regulatory regime to enhance copyright protection in the book industry as part of a comprehensive anti-piracy plan.
At a consultative meeting held by John O. Asein, Director-General of NCC, and Olugbemi Malomo, President of CIPPON, in Lagos recently, both regulatory agencies underscored the need to review and intensify effective workings of the copyright system, particularly the book publishing industry to ensure appropriate copyright clearance and instil best practices that would enhance the value chain in the sector.
DG, NCC, Mr. Asein, decried the spate of piracy in the book industry and informed that the Commission would work closely with major players in the copyright value chain in a bid to maintain acceptable standard.
He commended CIPON and its leadership for “identifying the broken bridges that need to be fixed” in order to restore the pride of printing as a critical component of the book industry.
The Director-General noted further that printing has a special place in the historical evolution of the copyright system over four centuries ago and still remains a lynchpin in the publishing industry.
He assured that appropriate mechanisms should be put in place to sieve genuine printers from pirates who only masquerade as printers.
Earlier, the President of CIPPON, Mr Olugbemi Malomo, had assured that CIPPON would support the anti-piracy drive of NCC to ensure that piracy was brought to the barest minimum in the book sector.
According to the CIPPON President, “We want to learn from what is on ground and see the area where we can collaborate and be able to achieve our aim as a common goal of identifying and removing pirates because that is the key thing.” He described his visit to the Commission as a first step in exploring areas of collaboration between CIPPON and NCC.
The CIPPON President stated, “The book production process has a huge supply chain. There have been instances when books are imported and when they got to Nigeria, pirated ones also came to Nigeria. So basically, we want to change that narrative. We believe that books should be categorised. That is our point of view as regulators.”
Mr. Malomo remarked, “You cannot seriously talk about Nigerian growth, Nigerian civilization and the enlightenment that Nigerians enjoy without reckoning with the role of printers because printers have always been a major block in the transmission of information in the growth of education, in the provision of enlightenment.
“So to a large extent, printers are still very relevant; whether in the offset era, in the improved technology era or in the digital era, we still have printers taking on different assignments. So, they are very key and to that extent, we are happy to start a conversation.”
Speaking further, the DG NCC, Mr. Asein stated, “We will move to the next level where we will engage further with your executive and Advisory Council. Then, we would move further to the level of addressing all printers. In the course of that, we would develop the right mechanisms and the right protocol to ensure that we are able to separate the wheat from the chaff.”
He charged the CIPPON President to keep a data of those the Institute regulates and informed that the Commission would commence full enforcement of the requirements of the Copyright Act to ensure that every producer of works keeps a register of works produced as mandated under section 14 of the Act.
Mr. Asein stated, “We already have an obligation under the Copyright Act to ensure that people who are producing copyright works keep registers. So we are sending out a clear message that henceforth, the Nigerian Copyright Commission will enforce the provisions of the Act requiring the keeping of registers.
“For instance, every printer should have a register of works that he or she is printing. I am sure today, we will have more in default than compliance. So we will soon begin to enforce compliance and prosecute offenders.”
He expressed concern over the prevalence of imported pirated works, which he described as double jeopardy.
“That is an area right owners would want Government to look into; with the help of the Customs Service, we will monitor the ports and block the inflow of these pirated materials. If we stem piracy then more publishers will be encouraged to patronise local printers. That way, we can save jobs and Nigeria would someday become a printing hub for the region”, he added.
Mr. Asein expressed hope that something would be done to revive the paper production industry to make printing in Nigeria more competitive and reduce dependence on foreign printing.
Consequent upon the deliberations, a four-man technical committee comprising NCC and CIPPON staff members would be inaugurated to, among other things, deliberate on the framework and modalities for future cooperation between NCC and CIPPON.
Video entertainment company MultiChoice’s woes are persisting with the company continuing to suffer massive losses in revenue and subscribers.
This emerged today when the DStv parent company announced its financial results for the year ended 31 March (FY25).
In a statement to shareholders on the Stock Exchange News Service, the JSE-listed firm says 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 notes.
Over this period, MultiChoice says the group lost 2.8 million active linear subscribers and had to absorb a R10.2 billion negative impact on its topline due to local currency depreciation against the US dollar.
For the year ended 31 March, the company reveals that linear subscribers were down 1.2 million or 8% year-on-year (YoY) to 14.5 million active subscribers, with the loss evenly split between South African (600 000) and Rest of Africa (600 000).
Although reflecting an improvement on FY24 trends, MultiChoice says this indicates ongoing broad-based pressure across the group’s entire customer base.
Active paying Showmax subscribers were up 44% YoY, reflecting healthy growth and gaining regional market share, it adds.
Group revenue declined by R5.2 billion or 9% YoY to R50.8 billion, mainly due to an 11% decline in subscription revenues (-1% organic) caused by foreign currency and subscriber volume headwinds and the deconsolidation of the NMSIS insurance business from December 2024, it explains.
According to the firm, this was partially offset by inflationary pricing and new product growth (DStv Internet, DStv Stream and Extra Stream).
Trading profit, which declined by R3.8 billion or 49% YoY to R4 billion, was materially affected by the R2.3 billion organic increase in trading losses in Showmax and the R5.2 billion in foreign currency revenue losses, partially offset by a significant outperformance in delivering total cost savings of R3.7 billion.
Adjusted core headline earnings, the board’s revised measure of the underlying performance of the business, shifted to a loss of R800 million (FY24: earnings of R1.3 billion) due to lower trading profit and hedging losses in FY25 (compared to gains in FY24), partially offset by smaller losses on cash remittances from Nigeria.
The group incurred a free cash outflow of R500 million in FY25 (FY24: inflow of R600 million), impacted by lower profitability, higher lease repayments due to timing and partially offset by improved working capital management as well as a 29% YoY decline in capex.
At year-end, the group held R5.1 billion in cash and cash equivalents and retains access to R3 billion in undrawn general borrowing facilities.
A part of the R12 billion term loan was repaid early by using the R900 million upfront proceeds from the NMSIS transaction (ie R1.2 billion, net of tax), says the company.
The group operates in numerous markets across Africa and internationally, resulting in significant exposure to foreign exchange volatility.
Amid the challenges, MultiChoice states that management acted decisively to ensure that the group could withstand these headwinds, focusing on key areas within its control.
It notes that this has meant maintaining a discipline of inflationary pricing, with price increases of 5.7% in South Africa in FY25 (FY24: 5.6%) and an average of 31% in local currency in Rest of Africa (FY24: 27%), which enabled the group to offset subscriber volume pressures and deliver 1% YoY organic revenue growth in the current financial year.
In addition, further efficiencies were implemented to manage costs and cash flows without unduly sacrificing the group’s customer value proposition, it adds.
In this regard, the group delivered R3.7 billion in cost savings, well ahead of management’s initial R2 billion target (and the revised R2.5 billion target set at interims) and almost double the R1.9 billion saved in FY24, the company says.
Afia TV & Radio has announced its official entry into the Lagos media market, in its commitment to expanding the broadcaster’s footprint, connecting businesses to audiences across Nigeria, and redefining regional media excellence.
Chief Emeka Mba,
Nnamdi Obanya, general manager of Afia TV & Radio, said there is only one digital satellite and one digital station in the southeastern region of Nigeria, which is Afia.
Obanya, stated that: “We are specialists in developing products. A programme on our channel, ‘How Market’, is where we talk to the people in the market to tell their stories and advertise their products on AFIA.”
According to him, “the market world has changed a lot, as the physical market has become a ware house while people are buying digitally.”
Chief Emeka Mba, founder and CEO, stated: “The parley brought together top media buyers, advertising agencies, and communication professionals for engaging conversations around emerging trends, innovation, and future-forward strategies in media planning and buying. The event also served as a platform for Afia TV and radio to unveil its offerings, platforms, and unique value proposition to Lagos-based stakeholders.”
While noting that they are thrilled to bring Afia’s fresh, original, and regional perspective to Lagos, Mba said, “this parley signals our readiness to collaborate, innovate, and deliver impactful results for our partners through data-driven content and targeted reach especially for brands looking to penetrate the southern Nigerian market.”
Equipped with modern broadcast studios, digital-first production capabilities, and a highly experienced team, Afia TV & Radio is poised to make a bold impression on the Lagos media landscape.
The media brand delivers high-quality programming ranging from news and documentaries to lifestyle, business, culture, and entertainment only in south-east but in Lagos, African and beyond, we want to be chief marketing platform of the eastern region, we are the only 24/7 radio station now in Enugu.
Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has warned disc jockeys (DJs) against publicly playing music without proper authorization or a valid license.
NAN reports that John Asein, NCC director-general, gave the warning in an advisory issued in Abuja.
He said the commission’s attention had been drawn to the growing practice of DJs playing music in public spaces without obtaining copyright licences from their approved collective management organisations (CMOs).
Asein said under sections 9 and 12 of the Copyright Act, 2022, only the owner of copyright in a musical work or sound recording has the exclusive right to reproduce, perform, or communicate it to the public.
The NCC threatened to prosecute defaulters in a case that could lead to a N1 million fine or a 5-year jail term upon conviction.
“Engaging in any of these acts without the owner’s authorisation constitutes an infringement under the Act,” he said.
“Such infringement may constitute a civil wrong or a criminal offence under section 44 (7), punishable upon conviction by a fine of not less than N1 million or imprisonment for a term of not less than five years or to both.”
Asein advised DJs to obtain the necessary licences and pay royalties to the approved CMO before performing music publicly.
The NCC director-general added that the commission will arrest and prosecute anyone found violating the law.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the approved CMO for musical works and sound recordings in Nigeria is the Musical Copyright Society, Nigeria (MCSN),” he said.
“The Commission is aware that the Disc Jockey’s Association of Nigeria (DJAN), as the umbrella body representing DJs in Nigeria, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with MCSN.
“Under the arrangement, DJAN is authorised to work with MCSN to facilitate the payment of royalties by DJs nationwide, based on the tariff that DJAN had negotiated with MCSN.”
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