BROADCASTING

Recently Released Amendments In The NBC Code Are Unenforceable –Movie Producer

Published

3 years ago

14 June 2020

Naz Onuzo, a movie producer, has expressed reservations about the amendments in the sixth edition of the broadcast code recently released by the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC), saying they are unenforceable.

The proposed amendments were recently released to the public, following recommendations of the committee on the reform of the NBC.

Certain provisions of the amendment to the code, particularly sections 9.0.1 to 9.0.3 – proscribe exclusivity, compel content sub-licensing to competitors and empower the NBC to determine sub-licensing fees to other broadcasters, including direct competitors.

Also, sections 6.2.5 and 6.2.6 mandate sports broadcasters to sub-license the rights of acquired foreign sports content to their competitors, while section 6.2.10 states that sports broadcasters must invest 30 per cent of the cost acquiring local content to purchase a local sporting content.

But in a series of tweets, Onuzo noted that the NBC did not widely consult with all stakeholders, insisting that the proposed amendments will significantly limit investments in the creative and pay television sectors.

He also stated that some of the proposed provisions are unenforceable due a number of factors beyond the control of the content creators or broadcasters, adding that the NBC is wrong to seek to compel creators and broadcasters to sub-license their content.

“The NBC code shows a fundamental misunderstanding between channels and platforms. So, to use US examples, the first run of Grey’s Anatomy is exclusive to ABC, but ABC can be carried on multiple platforms- Dish, DirecTV, Comcast etc.

“What the NBC code has done is say that ABC must sublicense Grey’s Anatomy to NBC in the first run if NBC wants. This is supposed to enhance competition, but it completely erodes competition. It removes the incentive to create Grey’s anatomy. All you do is wait for someone else to,” he said.

ALSO READ Broadcast Code: Exclusivity Not Same As Monopoly- Atoyebi, Ex-NBC DG

Onuzo further noted that the NBC’s proposed amendment for the sub-licensing of sporting events will create a licensing cluster, arguing that the criteria of host broadcasters sharing their acquired content with competitors and investing 30 per cent of their cost in local sporting content cannot be enforceable, as it deviates from the global standards for increasing competition in broadcasting.

“A lot of Nigerian producers are rightly concerned by the removal of the exclusivity clause because exclusivity deals are the most valuable and this bit directly reduces the value of the most desirable Nigerian content which I’m assuming is an unintended consequence.

“So, the confusion of programmes or channels on the sports side means a multiplicity of issues. You license SuperSport to Startimes. You sub-license a season of Premier League, you sublicense a game weekend, you sublicense a game to many people. How many different contracts?” he asked.

In a similar vein, Mary Remmy Njoku, Director-General, ROK Studios, took a dim view of the code.

She said while NBC claimed it is trying to protect local broadcasters, the new policy takes away their negotiating power.

She lamented that the agency’s self-given power to be one to negotiate how much content creators and broadcasters will sell their content even if they are losing money is counter-productive.

The NBC itself seems to have acknowledged that it got many things wrong, especially not consulting industry stakeholders and announced a decision to convoke a meeting of its board next week with a view to “smoothening the rough edges” on the new amendments.

“While acknowledging all the efforts of Management and other stakeholders in reaching a consensus, it has become obvious that more voices need to be heard, and a few other stakeholders who have ventilated their opinion to be given adequate audience,” the commission said in a statement.

ALSO READ MultiChoice Launches HONEY, A Brand-New Lifestyle Channel

Related Topics:#Amendments #Movie Producer #NBC Code #Unenforceable

Up Next

NBC Insists Amended Code Was In The Best Interest Of Nigeria’s Broadcasting Industry

Don't Miss

MultiChoice To Add Netflix And Amazon Prime Video To Its Stable

DigitalTimesNG

BROADCASTING

Africa 24 Group Joins The African Union Of Broadcasting (AUB)

The Africa 24 Group will actively participate in all the activities of the African Union of Broadcasting, particularly in the broadcasting, distribution and sharing of its contents to all members of the AUB

Published

2 months ago

3 February 2023

DigitalTimesNG

The Africa 24 Group has become a member of the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB), the biggest media professional organization in Africa with over 80 members.

The AUB is also the only African organization, member of the World Broadcasting Union (WBU).

The continent’s leading audiovisual brand, Africa 24 Group has had a total of 4 full HD television channels since November 2022, each, leader in their segment:

Africa 24: Leader of information in French on the Continent, published by Amedia
Africa 24 English: Leader of African Information exclusively in English
Africa 24 infinity, the channel of creative talents dedicated to music, art, culture, fashion
Africa 24 Sport: first channel of sports information and competitions of the Continent.

According to Mr. Grégoire Ndjaka, Director General of the AUB, “the Africa 24 Group, which has been the official media partner of the African Union since 2019, joins the big family of the AUB, its 80 members and partner institutions to share a common vision of promoting the continent’s media.

“We will develop a dynamic platform with Africa 24 to reinforce a positive narrative of Africa’s past, present and future potential. The Africa 24 Group is a real continental success, thanks to its ability to develop content at the local level on the major themes of current Africa.

ALSO READ Okoroji Insists Some Provisions Of New NBC Code Are Unenforceable

“We must work together to promote, strengthen the influence and consolidate the position of the countries of the continent on African and global issues.”

For the Africa 24 Group, which will celebrate its 15th anniversary in February 2024, joining the AUB is a major step that marks a new dynamic in its development.

From being the continent’s leading French-speaking news channel, Africa 24 is now a leading publisher with a unique reputation among the African population, senior executives and decision-makers.

The solid development prospects of the Africa 24 Group are in line with the partnership signed between Africa 24 and the African Union and its member countries like the Republic of Cameroon, which is a reference institutional partner of the Media Group.

For Mr. Constant Nemale, founder of the Africa 24 Group, membership with the AUB marks a new direction that is part of the “Attractive Africa” vision, the objective of which is to see African institutions and business enterprises support and promote the development of the continent through innovative local content.

“Becoming a member of the AUB is the greatest professional reward for the Africa 24 Group. This membership will enable our media through its 4 channels to collaborate more effectively with all the media on the continent, to strengthen the quality of productions, develop synergies, and be part of a dynamic of cooperation to initiate content in the official languages of the continent, namely French, English, Portuguese, Arabic, but also in the various African local languages.”

Through its “AUBVision” content exchange platform, the AUB makes available to its African members and partners (European Broadcasting Union – European Radio-Television Union (EBU), Radio-Television Union Arab States (ASBU) and the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), etc., contents of Africa 24 Group.

ALSO READ Soyinka Berates FG, Says NBC Code Will Strangle Industry

The African Union of Broadcasting and the Africa 24 Group will initiate a joint development program in sports, and the creative industries, in the training of media professionals and also towards institutional and corporate partners to promote African creative genius in all fields.

BROADCASTING

BON Postpones TNBA, Extends Deadline For Entries

Published

5 months ago

21 October 2022

DigitalTimesNG

The Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), organisers of The Nigeria Broadcasting Awards (TNBA), have postponed the awards ceremony to April 2023 and extended the deadline for the submission of entries into the various award categories.

The postponement decision was reached during a review meeting held on Tuesday 18th October 2022 between the Steering Committee, the Consulting firm, and BON Secretariat.

According to the committee, headed by Mr. Guy Murray-Bruce, President, Silverbird Group, the postponement became necessary in view of the number of broadcast professionals hindered from meeting the 23 September deadline for submission of entries by technology and courier companies, adding that the new deadline is 15 January 2023.

“We received 471 entries at the expiration of the deadline for submission. But we kept receiving pleas for an extension.

“After considering the reasons given by prospective entrants, who could not meet the original deadline, we resolved to extend the deadline, so as to have a really competitive process and ensure that we do not marginalize people, whose bids to file entries were thwarted by poor internet connectivity and delays by courier companies.

“We realized that both factors were beyond their control and felt it would be unfair to exclude them from the awards process on such bases. We have, therefore, extended the deadline to 15 January 2023,” the statement said.

The Steering Committee also extended the time span of entries eligible for consideration by the judges’ committee, headed by Mr. Emeka Mba, former Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), to 31 December 2022.

ALSO READ ViacomCBS Networks Africa Scoops Record 29 Awards @PromaxBDA Africa Awards 2020

This implies that entries must be original copies of work undertaken between August 1, 2021, and 31 December 2022, as against the previously announced date of 31 August 2022.

Entries are also required to be accompanied by entrants’ resumes and are to be submitted either as an MP3 audio file for radio or an MP4 video file for TV.

TNBA, according to BON, is a platform for the recognition and celebration of professional excellence in the Nigerian broadcasting industry. The award has 12 competitive categories in radio and television and is open to broadcast platforms licensed by NBC.

BROADCASTING

NBC Fines DSTV, Trust TV, 2 Others N20m For ‘Terrorism Glorification’

-Says Fine Must Be Paid On Or Before August 30

Published

8 months ago

4 August 2022

DigitalTimesNG

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has imposed a fine of N5 million each on Multichoice Nigeria Limited, owners of DSTV, TelCom Satellite Limited (TSTV), and NTA-Startimes Limited for broadcasting a documentary by the BBC Africa Eye titled, “Bandits Warlords Of Zamfara”.

Also fined the sum of N5 million was Trust Television Network (Trust TV) for the broadcast of another documentary titled, “Nigeria’s Banditry: The Inside Story”, which was aired by the station on March 5, 2022.

NBC made this disclosure in a statement titled: ‘NBC Sanction PayTV Platforms’ which was issued on Wednesday. August 3, 2022, and signed by its director-general, Balarabe Shehu Illela.

DigitalTimesNG recalls that last week Thursday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, noted that the Federal Government would sanction Trust TV and BBC for “terrorism glorification” in their documentaries.

Mohammed said the federal government was aware of the “unprofessional” documentary by the BBC Africa Eye, where interviews were granted to bandit warlords and terror gangs, thereby promoting “terror” in the country.

While acknowledging the need of educating, informing, and enlightening the public on issues bordering on developments and happenings within and outside the country, the Commission in the statement, advised broadcasters to be circumspect and deliberate in the choice and carriage of contents deleterious to Nigeria’s national security.

Consequently, NBC said the airing and carriage of these documentaries, contravened the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, Sixth edition.

The relevant sections cited include “3.1.1: No broadcast shall encourage or incite to crime; lead to public disorder or hate, be repugnant to public feelings or contain an offensive reference to any person or organization, alive or dead or generally be disrespectful to human dignity;

ALSO READ ViacomCBS Networks Africa Scoops Record 29 Awards @PromaxBDA Africa Awards 2020

”3.12.2: The broadcaster shall not transmit a programme that incites or likely to incite to violence among the populace, causing mass panic, political and social upheaval, security breach and general social disorder; and

“3.11.2: The Broadcaster shall ensure that law enforcement is upheld at all times in a manner depicting that law and order are socially superior to, or more desirable than crime or anarchy.”

NBC said the imposed penalties on the broadcast media platforms and station were to be remitted not later than August 30, 2022.

While warning that failure to comply with this directive will lead to the imposition of a higher sanction as provided in the Code, the NBC enjoined broadcasters to be instruments of national unity and desist from falling into antics of using their platforms to promote and glamorise subversive elements and their activities.

“Please note that every broadcast station or platform is responsible for the content it transmits or transmitted on its platform, and shall be held liable for any content in violation of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code,” the Commission added.