Paramount Africa is officially shutting down at the end of December 2025, drawing the curtain on more than two decades of operations in South Africa and Nigeria. The company, which once reached over 100 million viewers across 52 African territories, confirmed it will close its doors as part of a massive global restructuring at its parent company, Paramount Global.
This is the same Paramount Africa behind channels like BET, MTV, MTV Base, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and more. Its digital footprint has also been significant, with millions of monthly page views, social media engagements, and content partnerships across Africa. But despite that scale, rising costs and a global strategic reset have caught up with the business.
Paramount’s retrenchment has been building for months. Earlier this year, plans to launch a standalone Paramount+ app in South Africa were quietly shelved. Then in August, the company said its content would remain available only via DStv and Showmax. And last month, MultiChoice confirmed that BET Africa and MTV Base will disappear from DStv and GOtv on 1 January 2026, as Paramount Africa winds down entirely.
Industry watchers, including TV critic Thinus Ferreira, say the shutdown is tied to aggressive cost-cutting after Paramount’s merger with Skydance. The company is targeting a 15% reduction in global staff and $3 billion in savings. International divisions, including Africa, have taken the hardest hit as the business pivots away from linear TV and doubles down on a more streamlined streaming-first model.
At the same time, the global media landscape is being shaken by Warner Bros. Discovery’s chaotic auction. Netflix, Paramount, and Comcast have all submitted fresh bids for WBD, with some offers reportedly focusing on the studios-and-streaming division, home to HBO, HBO Max, DC, and Warner Bros. Pictures. Analysts say the crown jewel bundle could go for as much as $70 billion, a deal that would reshape Hollywood and accelerate the decline of traditional TV.
While Wall Street seems thrilled at the prospect of consolidation, others warn it could trigger job losses and further concentration of media power. Still, with cable TV revenues collapsing and studio economics shifting, both Paramount’s African exit and WBD’s potential sale look like part of the same story: old media is being rebuilt — fast — and Africa is feeling the ripple effects.
