Entertainment
From music to movies and TV shows, Techpoint Africa brings you the latest news and insights on how technology is shaping the entertainment industry.
Top stories
Canal+ is planning job cuts at MultiChoice as part of a turnaround strategy, signalling a shift towards cost efficiency as the pay-TV giant battles subscriber losses and rising competition.
MultiChoice plans to cut $479 million in costs as its acquisition by Canal+ moves forward. As commissioning becomes more conservative and Showmax shuts down, the question for Africa’s film and TV industry is simple: who funds the next wave of stories?
MultiChoice plans to shut down Showmax after years of heavy losses, ending one of Africa’s biggest attempts to build a local streaming service.
After struggling to monetise a viral song, Melody Nehemiah launched SongDis to fix Africa’s music distribution and earning gap.
Spotify’s 2025 Wrapped report shows a surge in Nigerian music consumption, with listeners spending over 1.3 billion hours on the platform. Local music streams grew by an impressive 82% year-on-year, while global Afrobeats listenership increased by 22% globally.
Even with millions of views, Nollywood’s YouTube films earn little from ads. Filmmakers are turning to brand placements but limited budgets and oversaturation could make that strategy unsustainable.
Africans work far longer hours than Europeans to afford Netflix. A new Cloudward report shows residents in Rwanda must work over four days for a standard plan, while Norwegians need just 24 minutes
Canal+ has completed its $2bn takeover of MultiChoice after regulators approved a new LicenceCo structure, cementing its position as Africa’s largest pay-TV operator.
Ghana’s government has demanded that DStv cut subscription fees by 30% by Aug 7 or face licence suspension, sparking a standoff between regulators and MultiChoice.
MultiChoice is losing pay-TV subscribers fast, but its streaming platforms are growing. With Canal+’s $2B acquisition and deep pockets, could Africa’s largest pay-TV company prioritise streaming and compete with Netflix and Amazon Prime?
Kava, a new streaming platform backed by Inkblot and FilmHouse, is launching in August 2025 to challenge global giants like Netflix and Amazon with local stories and regional insight.
Canal+ has received conditional approval to acquire MultiChoice, but the deal still hinges on ICASA’s final nod and a new HDP-owned company to comply with local ownership laws.
CANAL+ has partnered Netflix to bundle its offerings across 24 Francophone African countries. The partnership enhances CANAL+’s position as a leading content aggregator in Africa and will deepen Netflix’s reach in Africa amid rising subscription costs.
From silent vlogs to viral AI content, here are the top 25 YouTube trends dominating Q1 and Q2 2025 as well as what’s rising, fading and why it matters.
For the third time in two years, Netflix has increased subscription for its Nigerian customers with growing concerns regarding affordability and economic woes.
Canal+ faces regulatory hurdles in its R55bn bid for MultiChoice, mirroring Starlink’s struggles with South Africa’s strict local ownership laws. A new entity, LicenceCo, offers a workaround.
Netflix has increased its subscription fees in South Africa. Mobile, Standard, and Premium plans see hikes, while Basic stays at R99.
Canal+ has pushed back its acquisition timeline for MultiChoice to October 2025, as it awaits regulatory approval.
Warner Music and Audiomack have expanded their licensing deal to include 47 more countries, increasing African artists’ global reach and revenue opportunities, while strengthening Audiomack’s position in the streaming market.
Canal+ has announced plans to restructure MultiChoice’s operations in South Africa by establishing an independent entity, provisionally named LicenceCo, to comply with South African broadcasting regulations.
