Nollywood actress Iyabo Ojo joins growing list of filmmakers accusing Ghana TV stations of movie piracy (Video)

Nollywood actress and filmmaker Iyabo Ojo has accused a Ghanaian television station, North East TV, of illegally broadcasting her newly released film, The Memory of You Part 2, less than 24 hours after it premiered on YouTube.

In a video shared on X, the actress expressed shock and frustration, claiming the station aired the concluding part of her movie without her consent or any licensing agreement.

According to Iyabo Ojo, she had no prior knowledge of the television station and was never contacted for permission before the film was broadcast.

"I didn't give you permission. I don't know you," she said, questioning why a television station would take a movie uploaded to her official YouTube channel and air it for free while profiting from it.

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She said that such actions undermine filmmakers who invest significant amounts of money into producing movies, including paying actors, securing filming locations, hiring production crews, providing costumes, makeup, accommodation and other logistics.

She further said unauthorised broadcasts also reduce the number of viewers who would otherwise watch the film on YouTube, affecting the revenue creators rely on to recover production costs. She warned North East TV and any other broadcasters against airing any of her productions without authorisation, insisting that filmmakers deserve to be compensated for their work.

She called appealed to the National Film Authority (NFA), the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations and the President of Ghana to investigate the alleged copyright infringement and take action against offending television stations.

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She described the practice as unfair and questioned why African broadcasters would undermine fellow African filmmakers by pirating their work instead of supporting the creative industry. The actress ended her message with a strongly worded condemnation of those involved in the alleged piracy, accusing them of destroying the livelihoods of filmmakers.

Iyabo Ojo's allegations add to a growing list of complaints by Nigerian filmmakers over the alleged unauthorised broadcast of their films on some Ghanaian television stations.

Recently, Nollywood actress Bimbo Adebayo and producer Uchenna Mbunabo have made similar accusations, alleging that their films were downloaded from online platforms and aired without permission or compensation.

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Following Mbunabo's complaint, Ghana's National Film Authority (NFA) acknowledged the issue and announced plans to work with relevant regulatory agencies to strengthen enforcement against copyright infringement. The authority proposed sanctions including fines, temporary suspensions and licence revocations for offending broadcasters.

However, Iyabo Ojo's latest complaint suggests that concerns over the alleged piracy of Nollywood films by some Ghanaian television stations remain unresolved.

Her appeal for intervention is likely to renew calls for stronger enforcement of copyright laws and more decisive action to protect filmmakers across the region