Mexican, Indian soaps aired on Nigerian stations illegal – NFVCB
– A director of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) has revealed that airing music videos and foreign TV series on local stations is illegal
– He made this known in a recent interview
– The director also said the NFVCB was working to make sure the public knows this
In a surprising bit of news, Adedayo Thomas, executive director of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) board revealed that music videos are not supposed to be aired on local TV stations without proper authorization from the agency. In a recent interview, he explained that popular Mexican soap operas and Indian ones made by Zee World are unlicencessed and unclassified by the board making them illegal. “Apart from the ones we have in the cinemas, which are licensed by the board,other foreign films available in the market are illegal. Regulating import and export of films/video works is part the board’s mandate, and any foreign film that has to be sold in the country or aired on our local stations needs its approval.
First, you must show to the board that there is a proper collection of copyright from the owner of the foreign film from the originating country. Besides, such films must be sent to us for rating in order to ascertain whether it connotes the Nigeria’s code and classification,” he told NAN. He added that although the board was not shutting out on foreign films and video works, protecting local content was crucial in its operations. Thomas further explained that plans were being put in place for the board to work in collaboration with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), to regulate the airing of music videos on local TV stations. “The NBC is not supposed to allow those films to be aired by our local stations in the first place, if they are not licensed by NFVCB. Even video musicals, no matter how small, are not supposed to be aired on our local TV stations, without proper rating and permission from the board. However, we have talked with them and by the time we start working together, there will be sanity in what we watch on our TV stations, in terms of foreign contents.”