The Nation Newspaper

Tag: MultiChoice

  • MultiChoice introduces Fashion Protégé

    MultiChoice introduces Fashion Protégé

    MultiChoice Nigeria has launched a new initiative, The Fashion Protégé, which is aimed at recognising the talents of budding designers and fashionistas.

    Described as the first fashion TV reality show in Nigeria, the five-episode reality television series, which will be anchored by popular OAP Fade Ogunro, begins airing today on Africa Magic Entertainment. It showcases the journey of the contestants and chronicles their struggles as they strive to put their stamps on the fashion map.

    The General Manager of Marketing, Martin Mabutho, said:  “With Fashion Protégé, we have gone a step further by contributing to the development of the fashion industry in Nigeria. Nigerians are highly fashionable people and have garnered a reputation for being stylish. It is that vibrancy we hope to showcase. We also believe in nurturing the young and creating a platform for them to grow. It is not about searching for the next supermodel; rather, it was borne out of the need to grow the fashion industry.”

    According to the organisers, fashion lovers between the ages of 18 and 35 had partaken in the auditions.  However, the lucky contestants were mentored by Lanre Da Silva Ajayi and Mai Atafo.

    Prizes to be won include a trip to the London Fashion Weekend sponsored by the British Council, N1million cash prize, spotlight feature on BellaNaija as well as a fashion magazine and a one- year free subscription on DStv, among others.

  • MultiChoice brings BoxOffice to Nigeria

    MultiChoice brings BoxOffice to Nigeria

    MAKING a new offering to its subscribers in Nigeria, MultiChoice, on Thursday, officially launched BoxOffice, a platform aimed at providing DStv subscribers with the ultimate in home television entertainment.

    Describing the benefits of the new platform at the official launch held at Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, John Ugbe, the Managing Director of MultiChoice Nigeria, said with BoxOffice, DStv Premium subscribers could enjoy the best and the latest of Hollywood and Nollywood on their Explora decoders.

    Martin Mabutho, General Manager, Marketing and Retention, MultiChoice Nigeria, said that with the new service, the distribution flow of movies has been shortened. According to him, every movie released starts with going to the cinema. After that, it goes to DVD from which it goes to Pay TV and then terrestrial and cable stations. “What BoxOffice allows us to do is to close the gap between Pay TV and DVD. Therefore, as soon as it is ready on DVD, you can watch it on DVD. With that, we have cut the waiting period for the consumer. They won’t have to wait and go through the rigour of buying pirated DVDs,” he said.

    According to Mabutho, BoxOffice is a service that allows subscribers to conveniently rent and watch the latest blockbuster movies in the comfort of their homeson their DStv Explora decoders.

    “With BoxOffice, DStv subscribers can now rent and keep movies for up to 48 hours and the first movie is courtesy of DStv Nigeria. The platform will give subscribers access to up to 20 movies at any one time, with five of them being Nigerian movies,” he added.

  • Multichoice endows 10 resource centres

    Multichoice endows 10 resource centres

    Nigeria’s leading provider of premium pay entertainment, MultiChoice Nigeria, has added 10 new resource centres to its existing number, bringing the total to 294 in 29 states nationwide.

    The announcement was made during the commissioning of 10 new MultiChoice Resource Centres (MRC) in Yola, Adamawa State held at General Murtala Mohammed College, Yola.

    Beneficiaries of the audio-visual learning aid in Adamawa State are: Capital Government Day Secondary School, Government Girls Secondary School, General Murtala Mohammed College, Doubeli Government Day Secondary School, and School for Arabic Islamic Studies.

    Others are: Government Boys Boarding Secondary School, Government Day Secondary School, Government Science Technical College and Aliyu Musdafa College.

    Caroline Oghuma, Public Relations Manager, DStv who represented the Managing Director, Mr John Ugbe said: “The launch of MultiChoice Resource Centres in Yola is happening almost 10 years after the inaugural launch of the project in Abuja in 2004 to commemorate what was then MultiChoice’s 10th anniversary of the resource centre in Nigeria. The resource centre initiative is our corporate social responsibility project that has grown from only four centres at inception to 294 schools in 29 states of the federation.”

    Oghuma added that MultiChoice’s conviction is anchored on the fact that technological, economic, social and political advancement of any country has a direct correlation with its level of education development and that the future of a country is intrinsically linked to the quality of education that the youth are exposed to.

    Mrs Ronke Bello, Managing Director, Innovative Technology Literacy Services Ltd, the project managers for the resource centre project said the centre is designed to grant beneficiary schools access to the special MultiChoice education bouquet with the aim of integrating the programmes into their curriculum to enhance teaching and learning.

    The media deployed include: a TV set, a HD PVR decoder, satellite dish, a generator, stabiliser, a set of chairs and desks for the laboratory, among others.

  • Dewunmi Ogunsanya’s wife bows to cancer

    Dewunmi Ogunsanya’s wife bows to cancer

    SUCCESSFUL businessman and Chairman of MultiChoice Nigeria, Dewunmi Ogunsanya, is bereaved. The amiable lawyer-cum-businessman lost his wife to cancer last week in Europe. The late Ogunsanya, we gathered, had been battling with the illness for a while before finally succumbing to it last week.

  • Multichoice satisfied with involvement in basketball league

    Multichoice satisfied with involvement in basketball league

    Multichoice Nig Ltd., sponsors of the DStv Men’s Basketball Premier League, on Tuesday said that it was satisfied to be involved in Nigeria’s Basketball League.

    Martins Mabutho, the Head of Marketing and Sales, Multichoice, made the statement at a news conference in Lagos to herald the commencement of the 2013-2014 season. He said Multichoice renewed its sponsorship rights with the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) with vigour, adding that it remained committed to the league.

    Mabutho said the renewal of the right in 2013 was to continue to develop the sport in Nigeria and Africa. He noted that the company signed a three-year sponsorship for the 2013 to 2016 seasons.

    “The sponsorship, which is valued at several millions of dollars, was to be utilised for many projects by the NBBF. These include management of the league, technical development, marketing and promotion as well as running of the secretariat,’’ he said.

    Mabutho, however, said that the renewal of the sponsorship rights was not targeted at brand visibility.

    “Our support for the game is hinged on the belief that basketball is on its way to becoming a nationally recognised sport. We also decided to renew the sponsorship because of our love for and toward the growth and development of basketball.

    “Basketball is not just a sport; it is a lifestyle activity that promotes unity among youths; it builds determination and passion, and it is a game which, if well focused on, can empower the youth,’’ he said.

    The NBBF President, Tijani Umar, said at the conference that Oluyole Warriors of Ibadan and Police Baton of Lagos would kick-start the season with a ceremonial match on February 28.

    Umar added that matches would continue on March 7 across the various centres in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, Gombe and Kwara.

    “We are happy to be back for a new season which promises to be great and very entertaining. We thank our partners and sponsors, the DStv/Multichoice for unflinching support,’’ he said.

    According to Umar, the newly inaugurated league committee will ensure proper registration of players.

    He said the committee would also ensure that only licensed players and teams would feature in the league.

    “We will be strict against indiscipline and will not allow unlicensed teams or players to feature ,’’ he said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the eight teams each in the Atlantic and the Savannah Conferences will play 14 matches each in the regular season.

    The first four teams in the two conferences will feature in the Final Eight in Lagos at a yet-to-be decided date. The best two teams at the Final Eight will represent Nigeria in the Continental Club Championship.

  • Osas Ighodaro joins AfricaMagic Awards emcees

    Osas Ighodaro joins AfricaMagic Awards emcees

    AFRICAMAGIC Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) has announced Tinsel star, Osas Ighodaro, as the new addition to the celebrity emcee list for its gala ceremony.

    Though both IK Osakioduwa and Vimbai Mutinhiri, co-host of last year’s edition, are being returned, they will be burdened with fewer responsibilities, as some of the segments will be anchored by Ighodaro, who is also a part of the AfricaMagic’s onscreen family.

    The awards ceremony, which is done in association with MultiChoice and Amstel Malta, will be held in Lagos on Saturday, March 8, and will be screened live on DStv and GOtv to over 50 countries on the continent.

    M-Net Africa’s Managing Director of Special Projects Biola Alabi, said “IK and Vimbai did a tremendous job of hosting the inaugural AMVCAs. We are confident that with the addition of Osas, this dynamic team will once more keep this exciting and fast-paced live event running smoothly. With more viewer-voted categories, the launch of the New Era Award and a sensational new stage, the latest edition of these awards should be bigger and better.”

    She disclosed that TV personality, Denrele Edun, will be working the turquoise carpet.

    Commenting on the show, IK said, “The mileage the show attracts makes it a blessing to be nominated, let alone win. Also, one of my favourite categories is the Trailblazer Award, the continent’s first simultaneous look at new and developing talents. Also, one of the things I loved last year was seeing the really glamorous outfits.”

    In his view, co-host Vimbai of StarGist said, “The evening is a reminder of how much work, passion and commitment goes into film and TV. Also, the nominees have helped drive African films into contemporary culture and modernity in so many ways. So, it will be great to see who takes the first New Era Award.”

    Interestingly, enthusiastic Osas said, “I enjoyed every moment of the AMVCA’s last year and I am very excited about this year’s show. Being in a room full of beautiful African stars celebrating amazing works and knowing it will be broadcast all over Africa is nothing short of a blessing and I can’t wait. The AMVCA’s certainly exudes quality and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

    Twenty nine laurels in 27 categories will be awarded with the recipients of the Industry Merit Award, the New Era Award and the TrailBlazer Award also to be announced.

    According to the organizers, there are 137 nominations from across 80 productions this year vying for awards.

    Fans who wish to vote for their favourites in the nine viewers’ choice categories are urged to act fast, as voting closes on March 3, on the www.africamagic.tv website.

  • MultiChoice launches educational channel

    MultiChoice Africa is supporting learners and educational efforts through the launch of a new educational channel, Channel ED.

    Channel ED joined the DStv and GOtv family of channels penultimate week.

    It airs on DStv channel 318 and on GOtv channel 65.

    The channel features both global high-end documentaries and new locally-produced content on various fields, including physics, finance, culture, chemistry and others.

    A statement from the firm quoted the Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe, as saying: “MultiChoice is committed to equiping learners and communities with the best educational information to ensure that our audience gain information in a fun and exciting manner. Channel ED’s broad content is aimed at ages 15 to 49 and is yet anotherdemonstration of our commitment to bringing families together through the ultimate family viewing experience.”

    The channel will broadcast six hours of new content every week day, including documentaries, short form material and presenter-driven programmes.

    Executive Producer of Channel ED, Danie Ferreira, added: “Channel ED is about expanding the world’s knowledge on Africa through knowledge sharing thereby changing perceptions of Africa for the better.”

     

  • Fayose quits Multichoice

    Fayose quits Multichoice

    The Head of Public Relations Manager, Multichoice Nigeria, Mr. Segun Fayose has resigned, The Nation exclusively gathered.

    Although information about what led to his resignation remain sketchy as at press time, a staff member of the organisation, Mr. Timothy Okwu confirmed that Fayose dropped his resignation letter some weeks ago.

    To replace him, it was gathered that Multichoice is shopping for him.

    When contacted by The Nation, Fayose said he resigned in lieu of notice. He said he’s going into consulting. “In life you have to move on,” he said.

    Fayose spent about 12 years with the South African brand. His experience cut across broadcasting, media relations, public relations, marketing communication, PR campaigns execution, client services management, event management, CSI and mass communications.

    A committed, detailed and oriented manager, Fayose is very passionate about his work. The alumnus of Lagos State University (LASU) and Pan African University is a persistent public relations and publicity professional.

  • MultiChoice builds resource centre in Bayelsa

    MultiChoice builds resource centre in Bayelsa

    Pay Tv service provider, MultiChoice Nigeria has extended the MultiChoice Resource Centre (MRC) initiative, which it started in 2004 to 10 additional public secondary schools in Bayelsa State. According to a statement, it is part of the firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, which kicked off in Abuja and Lagos State. It saidthe initiative will avail students of 10 public schools in Bayelsa State access to world-class learning facilities.

    The intervention comprises a TV set, a HD PVR decoder, satellite dish, a power generator, uninterrupted power system (UPS), a set of chairs and desks for the laboratory, in additional to training for teachers. The MRC facilitates teaching and learning enhancement by enabling school children access educational TV channels that include: Education TV, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, BBC Knowledge, BBC World, History Channel, Animal Planet and Mindset Learn, at no cost.

    The novel intervention which has been introduced to 274 schools in 27 states and proved to make critical impact on the knowledge levels and understanding, especially of technical subject areas by students, is now within the reach of students of the public secondary schools in Bayelsa State, bringing the total to 284 in 28 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    A commemorative inauguration of the 10 new MRC in Bayelsa State held at Saint Jude’s Secondary School, Yenagoa, on Thursday, January 16. It is in furtherance of the Ninth Phase of the project, which include scheduled launches in other beneficiary schools in some select states to be announced by the company.

  • Fayose quits Multichoice

    The Public Relations Manager, Multichoice Nigeria, Mr. Segun Fayose has resigned from the company.

    Although information on what led to his resignation remain sketchy, a staff of the organisation, Mr. Timothy Okwu, confirmed to The Nation that Fayose’s notice of resignation expires by end of the month.

    The Nation gathered that the pay TV is currently shopping for possible replacement having been conducting interviews with prospective candidates from within and outside the company.

    Fayose spent about 12 years with the South African company. His experience cut across broadcasting, media relations, public relations, marketing communication, PR campaigns execution, client services management, event management, CSI and mass communications.

    A committed, detailed and oriented manager, Fayose is very passionate about his work. The alumnus of Lagos State University and Pan African University is a persistent Public relations and publicity professional.

    When contacted by The Nation via phone calls and text message, he refused to comment on questions relating to his resignation from Multichoice.