Broadcasting
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ Show Is Back, After 4 Years Hiatus
The widely celebrated and highly acclaimed TV game show that keeps Nigerian families glued to their seats, “WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?” (WWTBAM), is back, bigger and better, with contestants now standing a chance to duel it out for a fantastic grand prize of ₦20 million every week, all year long.
The number one Nigerian game show based on the original British version, known casually as “Millionaire” and popularly called “WWTBAM” in the literature space, aired for over 13 years from October 8, 2004 until June 25, 2017 when it was temporarily canned.
In the thirteen memorable years of gracing our screens, the show which enthralled TV audiences far and wide with its exciting and educating editions, boasted of formidable participants, a deep wealth of knowledge and one worthy winner of the staggering prize money of N10 million in the person of Aroma Ufodike who became the first winner of the much coveted top prize of this stupendous game show.
The millionaire game show, which has an intricate set of rules, hosts a group of contestants in each episode in a preliminary round called “Fastest Finger First”; where all contenders for the whooping prize money are given a question and four answers by the host, which must then be placed within a particular order. The contestant who answers correctly in the fastest time goes on to play the main game.
Once a contestant enters the main game, they are asked increasingly difficult general knowledge questions by the host, with each question featuring four possible answers, to which the contestant must give the correct answer. Doing this wins the contestant certain amounts of money, as they advance in the game, hence increasing their prize fund.
During the game, the player has a set of lifelines that they may use only once to help them with a question, as well as two “safety nets”. These lifelines are: ’50/50′, where the computer eliminates two random wrong options, leaving the right option and the other remaining wrong option; ‘Phone a Friend’, where the contestant has 30 seconds to call one of their friends, read the question and four possible options to the friend, who then has the remaining time to offer input; and ‘Ask the Audience’, where audience members use touchpads to designate what they believe the correct option to be and the percentage of the audience choosing each specific option is displayed to the contestant.
In this suspense-filled game show where contestants tackle a series of multiple-choice questions with an eagle-eyed vision to win large cash prizes in a format that twists on many game show genre conventions, Hakeem Condotti, CEO of BLK HUT Media, the Licensee and production house stated: “As a company, our desire is to continuously deliver creative, intelligent and professional content to the market for the people and partner brands; and in the production of a brand with WWTBAM stature, we are able to show our range and capacity to this effect.
“We are proud to be bringing international quality content right to our screens again in Nigeria, be it on TV, Digital, Cable, or Mobile. As part of the much-needed COVID relief that we all need as a nation, WWTBAM is back to entertain, educate and once again, have viewers on the edge of their seats and creating millionaires every week.”
The Nigerian variation of “WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?”, a viewers’ delight bubbling with delicious elements of suspense and humour laced throughout the show, is ready to take you to a new level of educational adventure, excitement and giddiness in this newly revamped sensational game show, coming to a television screen near you.
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.”
Netflix has increased its subscription fees in Nigeria for the third time since 2024, with the Premium Plan rising by 21.43%, from ₦7,000 to ₦8,500 per month.
This marks the streaming platform’s first price adjustment in 2025.
Other subscription tiers have also been affected.
The Standard Plan now costs ₦6,500, up from ₦5,500—a hike of 18.18%.
The Basic Plan has increased from ₦3,500 to ₦4,000, while the Mobile Plan moved from ₦2,200 to ₦2,500, reflecting increases of 14.29% and 13.64% respectively.
The latest adjustment aligns with Netflix’s broader global pricing strategy, which the company has linked to its ongoing investment in content and platform development. In a previous communication to investors, Netflix stated, “As we invest in and improve Netflix, we’ll occasionally ask our members to pay a little extra to reflect those improvements. Which in turn helps drive the positive flywheel of additional investment to further improve and grow our service.”
While the company did not explicitly cite inflation in its most recent update, its website indicates that local economic factors influence its pricing structure.
“Price changes are made to respond to local market changes, such as changes to local taxes or inflation,” the statement read.
The move mirrors similar pricing shifts among other major digital and entertainment services in Nigeria.
Companies including Google, DSTV, GOtv, and Microsoft have also raised subscription rates, attributing their decisions to continued inflationary pressures and a weakening naira.
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) have jointly introduced “The Big Picture’, a flagship initiative under Nigeria’s renewed Digital Switchover (DSO) project.
Under the project, Nigerian households will for the first time, gain access to high-quality digital broadcasts via affordable satellite dishes, hybrid devices, and internet-enabled set-top boxes.
Backed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and in line with his Renewed Hope Agenda, this strategic shift marks a significant step toward transforming Nigeria’s broadcasting landscape by leveraging the country’s sovereign satellite infrastructure.
At the heart of the initiative is NigComSat-1R, Nigeria’s only communications satellite in orbit, which will play a critical role in delivering Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcasts across the entire Nigerian territory.
This satellite-first approach eliminates the traditional dependence on terrestrial transmission towers, accelerating the nationwide rollout of digital broadcasting by over 65%.
It also offers a scalable, cost-effective, and future-ready model for expanding digital access and promoting national storytelling.
Key figures, including: Charles Ebuebu, director-general, NBC; and Jane Nkechi Egerton-Idehen, managing director, Nigcomsat, have welcomed this forward-thinking strategy, emphasising its importance in maximising the use of national satellite assets and ensuring inclusive access to digital content.
An estimated 10 million homes equipped with DVB-S2-compatible televisions or decoders will have immediate access to free-to-air channels, while others will benefit from next-generation hybrid devices that combine satellite feeds with online streaming capabilities.
These new branded devices are designed with the country’s youth-dominated demographic in mind over 60% of the population is under the age of 25.
They will feature pre-installed apps, voice search functionality, parental controls, and seamless integration with NigComSat’s Electronic Programme Guide (EPG), offering an intuitive and engaging user experience.
In a data-driven upgrade to Nigeria’s broadcasting ecosystem, NBC is also partnering with global analytics firm GARB to introduce real-time audience measurement technology.
This will enable broadcasters, advertisers and content creators to analyse viewership trends across regions and devices, helping to tailor content more effectively and drive higher audience engagement. The introduction of this system is expected to boost advertising revenue by as much as 300% by 2026.
The success of “The Big Picture” will rely on robust collaboration between public and private stakeholders.
The Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) and other content partners are expected to supply 60% of programming for the new 120-channel platform, using both original and repurposed content.
Meanwhile, local manufacturers will contribute by producing around 5 million compliant devices annually, a move projected to create over 20,000 jobs in assembly plants nationwide.
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