Multichoice Raises Alarm as BBNaija Season 10 Records Over 5m Illegal Streams, Loses 243,000 Subscribers

Multichoice Nigeria has expressed serious concern over the surge in digital piracy, revealing that the tenth season of Big Brother Naija (BBNaija) was illegally streamed more than five million times.

Atinuke Babatunde, Executive Head of Content and Channels for West Africa at Multichoice, disclosed the alarming figure on Friday during the 2025 Nigerian Entertainment Conference (NECLive) in Lagos. The event brought together industry stakeholders under the theme “Powering Africa Through Creative Enterprise.”

Describing the scale of piracy as a major threat to Nigeria’s creative economy, Babatunde said: “This is not mischief; it’s theft, and it is economic sabotage that must be stopped.”

She noted that outdated copyright laws and weak cross-border enforcement continue to hinder anti-piracy measures, calling for urgent reforms to protect digital content in an evolving media landscape. “We need modern copyright laws, enforcement frameworks, and cross-border protections,” she said.

Her comments come amid growing public criticism of Multichoice following the recent loss of 243,000 DStv and GOtv subscribers — a development many Nigerians have linked to rising subscription costs and increased competition from streaming platforms.

In response, Multichoice has intensified anti-piracy campaigns, including awareness walks across major Nigerian cities to educate the public on the dangers of illegal streaming.

Babatunde emphasized that safeguarding creative content is essential for the continent’s economic future. “When creativity rises, the entire economy rises. When African stories travel, African industry grows. When African creators thrive, Africans thrive,” she noted.

She urged African stakeholders to take collective action: “This is our moment not to dream but to build, not to respond but to lead, not to wait but to act. The continent’s creative century has already begun; let’s make sure Africa owns it.”