Brands/Products
Canal+ Raises Buyout Offer for MultiChoice
By Adedapo Adesanya
French media company, Canal+, has made a mandatory offer to buy all the shares of South African broadcaster, MultiChoice, for around 55 billion Rand ($2.9 billion), a statement on Monday confirmed this.
The new offer price is almost 67 per cent higher than the MultiChoice share price just before its first offer of 105 Rand per share was rebuffed by the Multichoice board as too low in February.
The deal, if achieved, would create a pan-African broadcasting powerhouse able to put African content to global audiences as well as compete on an international scale.
The French media company has a broad reach in French-speaking African nations, while MultiChoice has a stronger presence in English-speaking countries, including South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya. Last month, it acquired a stake in Senegalese internet broadcaster, Marodi.
MultiChoice also chose Standard Bank as an independent expert to give an opinion on the offer, agreeing to cooperate in ensuring its implementation.
Canal+ operates in 50 countries across Europe, Africa and Asia, directly serving 8 million customers in Africa. It had about 25 million subscribers as of its 2023 year, while MultiChoice had 23.5 million. Both have serious ambitions for Africa and have acknowledged that scale is necessary to take on US giants such as Disney and Netflix.
“Canal+’s ambition is to build a global entertainment leader, with Africa at its heart, combining scale, complementary geographies, integrated and international reach with strong local roots, that will support the commercial development of Africa’s sporting and cultural industries and take leading and authentic African stories to a global audience,” it said on Monday.
“This long-term vision has its foundation in Canal+’s extensive and successful 30-year history of investing in African creative and sports broadcasting markets.”
Vivendi, the parent company of Canal+, is also currently undertaking a feasibility study for the proposed split of the company into several separately listed entities, first announced in December.
Should a planned European listing proceed, there will be an opportunity for South African investors to become shareholders of the combined entity as part of a secondary inward listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), the company said.
Canal+ added on Monday it understood the imperative of broad-based black economic empowerment, and upon implementation, it intends to support MultiChoice in its continued efforts of transformation of its South African business. This is usually also a condition imposed by SA’s competition regulators, whose approval is required, while a circular for the offer will be released in due course.
Complicating matters had been SA laws that place limitations on foreign ownership of local broadcast licences. This means Canal+ can increase its shareholding in MultiChoice to any level, but its voting rights are limited to a maximum of 20 per cent.
Canal+ also increased its stake in the group to over 35 per cent, which is a threshold that triggers a mandatory offer.
However, given the voting cap, the South African Takeover Regulation Panel was then asked to make a ruling, finding in February that Canal+ must. Following an extension, it was given until 8 April to make its mandatory offer.
MultiChoice has also granted exclusivity to Canal+, which entails not engaging with other competing parties. However, should a better, unsolicited proposal be received, Canal+ will have the opportunity to revise its offer.
“Following constructive engagement with MultiChoice, we are pleased to have issued a joint firm intention announcement to make an offer today, representing a significant premium for the shareholders of MultiChoice,” Canal+ chair and CEO Maxime Saada said in a statement.
“Canal+ is confident in making this offer, at a level which far exceeds the minimum required by regulation, due to the incredible future we believe that Canal+ and MultiChoice can build together,” he said.
“We are excited about these opportunities, which will be supported by further investment in technology, including the continued offering of a leading satellite service, and rolling out more innovative streaming products.”
Brands/Products
Netflix to Buy Warner Bros. Discovery in $82.7bn Mega Deal
By Adedapo Adesanya
Netflix has reached a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to buy the legendary TV and movie studio and assets like the HBO Max streaming service for $82.7 billion.
Warner Bros. Discovery is moving forward with its plans to split into two publicly traded halves in 2026. Once the split takes effect, Netflix intends to acquire the Warner Bros. half. The other half, Discovery Global, will house CNN and other cable channels. The Warner Bros. half includes its film and television studios, HBO Max and HBO.
The transaction values Warner Bros. Discovery at $27.75 per share, implying a total equity value of approximately $72.0 billion and an enterprise value of approximately $82.7 billion.
The deal is subject to regulatory conditions, of which there will be several, due to the size of the companies involved and what it means for competitiveness.
For several weeks, Paramount was thought to be the frontrunner in the auction for Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount executives, who want to buy all of Warner Bros. Discovery – including its cable assets – were confident about their merger proposal and their mutually beneficial relationship with President Donald Trump.
However, Netflix surprised many with the boldness of its bids as it agreed to the same costly breakup fee that Paramount proposed, according to reports. This means the would-be buyer will pay Warner Bros. Discovery billions of dollars if the deal is not completed.
“Our mission has always been to entertain the world,” said Mr Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix. “By combining Warner Bros.’ incredible library of shows and movies—from timeless classics like Casablanca and Citizen Kane to modern favorites like Harry Potter and Friends—with our culture-defining titles like Stranger Things, KPop Demon Hunters and Squid Game, we’ll be able to do that even better. Together, we can give audiences more of what they love and help define the next century of storytelling.”
Mr Greg Peters, the other co-CEO of Netflix, said the acquisition would “improve our offering and accelerate our business for decades to come,” adding: “Warner Bros. has helped define entertainment for more than a century and continues to do so with phenomenal creative executives and production capabilities. With our global reach and proven business model, we can introduce a broader audience to the worlds they create—giving our members more options, attracting more fans to our best-in-class streaming service, strengthening the entire entertainment industry and creating more value for shareholders.”
“Today’s announcement combines two of the greatest storytelling companies in the world to bring to even more people the entertainment they love to watch the most,” said David Zaslav, President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery. “For more than a century, Warner Bros. has thrilled audiences, captured the world’s attention, and shaped our culture. By coming together with Netflix, we will ensure people everywhere will continue to enjoy the world’s most resonant stories for generations to come.”
The terms of the agreement will see each Warner Bros. Discovery shareholder receive $23.25 in cash and $4.50 in shares of Netflix common stock for Warner Bros. Discovery common stock share.
Brands/Products
Video Gaming Firm Xsolla Offers Nigerians Paga Payment Option
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A global video game commerce company, Xsolla, has integrated Nigeria’s Paga into its payment system, allowing Nigerians more secure payment options.
Xsolla helps developers launch, grow, and monetize their games and with a large market available in Nigeria, with a population of over 230 million people, working with Paga is a good idea.
With services like Pay with Paga, Bank Transfers with Paga, and Cash by Paga, Xsolla provides a comprehensive payment solution that caters to diverse needs.
Serving more than 20 million users and processing massive volumes nationwide, Paga is one of Nigeria’s largest licensed mobile-money operators.
By integrating Paga’s full suite of payment options, players can enjoy seamless transactions, whether through quick in-app purchases, bank transfers, or cash deposits – with instant confirmations and reduced friction for all types of payments.
“Introducing Paga as a new payment method to players in Nigeria reflects our commitment to meeting players where they are,” said Chris Hewish, President at Xsolla.
“Paga’s strong local presence and trusted platform make it easier for Nigerian players to engage confidently, ensuring that convenience and security go hand in hand.”
From Nigeria to the world, Xsolla provides every payment method developers need to grow and monetize their games globally.
Local payment methods are crucial, enabling developers to reach every player, increase transaction conversions, and drive more sales and revenue. With Paga in Nigeria, it’s easier than ever to pay, play, and succeed.
Key benefits of the Paga integration include instant confirmations, localized experiences, and increased market reach and conversion.
Brands/Products
Temu Partners Dellyman to Scale Logistics Capabilities Across Nigeria
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
As part of its strategies to aggressively scale its logistics capabilities across key African markets, especially in Nigeria, the fast-growing global e-commerce powerhouse, Temu, has entered into a delivery partnership with Lagos-based logistics startup, Dellyman.
Through this collaboration, Temu customers in Nigeria will experience faster, more predictable, and more transparent deliveries, a critical factor in sustaining the platform’s customer satisfaction as order volumes continue to rise.
Dellyman’s technology-driven approach, spanning rider management, route optimisation, and customer visibility, played a central role in Temu’s selection process.
In the pilot phase, Dellyman completed more than 1,300 deliveries with a 95 per cent success rate, demonstrating its readiness to support large-scale e-commerce operations nationwide.
Founded in 2020, the firm has grown into one of Nigeria’s most reliable same-day and last-mile delivery platforms.
The company recently achieved a 10,000-order monthly delivery milestone in November 2025, contributing to a cumulative total of more than 300,000 lifetime deliveries.
This track record made Dellyman a strong fit for Temu, which is aggressively scaling logistics capabilities across key African markets.
“Our partnership with Temu is a major endorsement of the vision we set out with, to build Nigeria’s most reliable, scalable, and transparent last-mile delivery infrastructure.
“Achieving a 95 per cent delivery success rate during the pilot underscores our readiness to support high-volume e-commerce platforms.
“This collaboration shows that local startups can meet and exceed global standards when given the opportunity,” the chief executive of Dellyman, Mr Dare Ojo-Bello, said.
He further noted that the partnership represents more than operational growth as it signals a shift in how global e-commerce brands view Nigerian logistics capabilities.
“This is not just about fulfilling orders; it is about reshaping perceptions of what Nigerian delivery companies can achieve. We are committed to building the kind of infrastructure that supports international standards, empowers local businesses, and ultimately strengthens consumer trust in the broader digital economy,” he noted.
Mr Ojo-Bello added that Dellyman will continue investing in capacity, fleet expansion, and merchant-facing tools to ensure superior delivery experiences for Temu buyers and other online shoppers nationwide.
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