By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The prevailing rise in input costs and economic conditions have forced leading brewery companies in Nigeria, including International Breweries Plc, Guinness Nigeria Plc, and Nigerian Breweries Plc, to raise the prices of their products.

Guinness Nigeria, in a notice sent to business partners, announced a plan to increase prices on selected SKUs across categories from Thursday, March 26, 2026.

The company noted that the price increase was necessitated by the prevailing economic conditions, which have significantly impacted its cost of doing business. It noted that fully funded orders raised in its system before Thursday, March 26, 2026, will be shipped at existing prices.

In the same vein, Nigerian Breweries, in a notification sent to its valued partners, said it would implement a price increase on select SKUs, effective Friday, March 20, 2026, but promised to honour current prices for all fully funded and confirmed orders placed in its system before the day of the increment to minimise disruptions.

The company commended the partners for their continued support and efforts to deliver on the 2026 business objectives, noting that their partnership is highly valued and remains integral to its shared success.

Similarly, International Breweries said its price adjustment would be applied to selected SKUs across its portfolio, effective Saturday, March 21, 2026.

The price increase, according to the District Manager, International Breweries, West, Mr Samuel Ngene, was driven by the prevailing global conflict and subsequent rising input costs.

Like the others, Mr Ngene assured customers that the company would honour current pricing for existing orders that are fully funded in the system before March 21, 2026, urging business partners to review their current orders and plan purchases accordingly to optimise operations during this period.

He expressed profound appreciation to all the business partners, noting that the company remains committed to working closely with them in providing the necessary support to drive continued growth in your territory.

March is globally recognised as Women’s Month, a time to celebrate strength, resilience, and impact. From International Women’s Day and Mother’s Day, the spotlight is on women and the many roles they embody.

This March, GOtv steps into the stories of women not just as characters, but as forces that shape families, legacies, and entire worlds. Because on GOtv, these stories are more than entertainment, they are reflections of real women.

From Mothers of the Bride, where Mia Sisi carries the weight of family pride and will go to any length to protect their name, to Wura, who would go to any length to protect the family.

At the heart of Wura is also Iyabo, fierce, loyal, and unwavering. A mother whose strength is not just in her love, but in her readiness to fight for what is hers. She represents a kind of womanhood that is bold, protective, and deeply rooted in resilience.

Then there’s Daughter of Water, a story of identity, mystery, and purpose… where a woman’s journey flows as deeply as her power.

The Split brings another dimension, ambition, complexity, and the balancing act women navigate in love, career, and self.

And on Heartbeat, we see women show up in everyday strength, in love, in loss, in quiet courage that keeps life moving forward.

Across every screen, one thing is clear: there is no single way to be a woman.

She can be soft and strong, protective and powerful and calm… yet ready to rise again when life demands it.

This is what GOtv celebrates, women in their fullness. The fighters, the nurturers, the leaders, the survivors. The ones who hold families together, challenge the odds, and redefine what strength looks like every single day.

And this March, their stories take centre stage.

To upgrade, subscribe, or reconnect, download the MyGOtv App or dial *288#. For c

By Adedapo Adesanya

Canal+, which now owns MultiChoice, a pay-TV firm, has announced its decision to discontinue the streaming service, Showmax.

The company said the Showmax board has made the decision to discontinue the service in the near future.

“This decision reflects our focus on strengthening our overall digital offering and ensuring long-term sustainability in an increasingly competitive streaming environment.

“Importantly, at the moment, there will be no interruption to your current service. You can continue streaming as usual, and no action is required from you at this time,” it said.

It added that it will share further details in the future, including timelines and any future steps, should they be required.

MultiChoice launched Showmax across Africa 10 years ago in August 2015 to compete with the advent of streamers like Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon’s Prime Video, Disney+ and others, which all became available on the continent and started biting into MultiChoice’s legacy pay-TV subscriber base on DStv and GOtv.

However, it soon faced some challenges and couldn’t hit its target.

In February 2024, MultiChoice, in partnership with Comcast’s NBCUniversal, relaunched Showmax, utilising the technology behind the Peacock streaming service.

The investment, which was pegged at over $300 million, still did not bear the expected fruit, with other streaming giants seeing growth over the years.

With Canal+’s takeover and its aggressive cost-cutting moves, it was no doubt that Showmax got the axe.

Regardless, it said, “Streaming remains central to our strategy. We will continue to invest in premium content, technology innovation and partnerships to deliver the best possible entertainment experience to our customers.”

Canal+ is looking to cut a combined €400 million by 2030, which will affect content.

NBCUniversal has a 30 per cent stake in Showmax as a joint venture. In its last annual results before the Canal+ takeover, MultiChoice revealed that Showmax’s trading losses had worsened by 88 per cent while revenue significantly declined.

According to the company, “The decision to axe Showmax was made by the Showmax board and reflects the continued focus of MultiChoice, a Canal+ company, on financial discipline and investment optimisation, in an increasingly competitive and capital-intensive global streaming environment.”

Since Canal+, as part of its agreement to take over MultiChoice, isn’t allowed to get rid of any staff for a period of three years, MultiChoice won’t let any Showmax staff go but will reassign them to other positions within the broader company.

MultiChoice has already started to quietly rebrand Showmax Originals as Africa Magic, M-Net, kykNET and Mzansi Magic Originals, with original series that will transition to these various DStv linear TV channels on the MultiChoice pay-TV platform.

Showmax’s closure comes two years after Amazon MGM Studios shocked Nigeria and South Africa’s creative community in January 2024 when it announced that it would stop commissioning any new local original content in Africa, and also ended already-existing development deals with a dozen production companies.