MultiChoice, CANAL+ Unveil New Advertising Opportunities as DStv Media Sales Hosts Industry Leaders in Lagos

DStv Media Sales, the advertising sales arm of MultiChoice, a CANAL+ company, has brought together key stakeholders and decision-makers in Nigeria’s advertising industry to explore emerging opportunities in a rapidly evolving media landscape.

The gathering, held at The Royal Box, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Thursday, provided an opportunity to assess the first year of MultiChoice’s transition to CANAL+ and examine how the integration could create new opportunities for advertisers across Nigeria and Africa.

In her opening remarks, Doris Ohanugo, Senior Vice President, DStv Media Sales Nigeria, stressed the need for media optimisation and stronger collaboration with industry partners to help brands connect more effectively with audiences.

“Media continues to evolve, and so must the way brands connect with audiences. This gathering provides an opportunity to share insights, strengthen our partnerships and explore how we can deliver greater value in a changing media landscape,” she said.

Delivering the keynote address, Fahmeeda Cassim-Surtee, Group Chief Executive Officer of DStv Media Sales, highlighted the commercial opportunities arising from the integration of MultiChoice and CANAL+.

She explained that the combined business brings together complementary content offerings, distribution networks and advertising capabilities, providing brands with access to more than 23.5 million households and approximately 100 million people across 50 countries.

“The coming together of MultiChoice and CANAL+ creates exciting opportunities for our partners. Our broader African footprint and premium content offering give brands more ways to connect with audiences at scale. We are also investing in tools that simplify planning and campaign execution as viewing habits continue to evolve,” she said.

Speaking on the Nigerian market, Kemi Omotosho, Chief Executive Officer of MultiChoice Nigeria, said the company was targeting coverage of one in every two electrified households by 2030.

She outlined plans to expand content distribution, improve subscriber experience and strengthen efforts to protect premium content against piracy, while responding to changing audience preferences across television and mobile platforms.

“Nigeria is changing, and so are we. Viewers are consuming content differently across television and mobile devices. Our focus is on reaching more households, delivering compelling content and creating greater value for subscribers and commercial partners,” Omotosho said.

She also announced the introduction of four simplified subscription packages designed to provide subscribers with greater choice, flexibility and value, with the changes scheduled to begin in November.

Shamiel Salie, Senior Vice President, Digital Advertising at CANAL+ Group, identified connected television and streaming as significant growth opportunities for advertisers.

He noted that DStv Stream, commercially available across 47 African countries, offers brands additional channels for reaching audiences through digital platforms as viewing habits continue to shift.

“Connected TV offers an important opportunity to bring the strengths of television and digital advertising together. As more audiences watch content across connected devices, we are focused on helping brands reach them through more flexible and measurable advertising solutions,” he said.

The conference also featured contributions from industry partners on the importance of long-standing business relationships and innovation in advertising.

Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka, Chief Marketing Officer of MTN Nigeria, commended the partnership between the telecommunications company and DStv Media Sales, noting that compelling content and innovation remained important to meeting changing consumer expectations.

“Our longstanding partnership with DStv has created opportunities to connect with audiences through content and experiences that matter to them. As consumer expectations evolve, continued innovation, flexibility and engaging content will be important in delivering value to both audiences and advertisers,” she said.

The 10th edition of the DStv Media Sales industry conference reinforced the importance of collaboration, premium content and digital innovation in shaping the future of advertising.

It also provided a platform for stakeholders to examine how the expanded reach of the combined MultiChoice-CANAL+ business and evolving advertising solutions could help brands engage audiences more effectively across Nigeria and the wider African market.