The Netng (Nigerian Entertainment Today) also known as ''NET'' is an online entertainment

news News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the tes ...

organisation based in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

, Nigeria. It is a leading source of African entertainment, fashion and lifestyle news. Netng formed part of NET Newspaper Limited (NNL) until 2019 when it was acquired by ID Africa. Netgn is the organiser of NECLive (Nigerian Entertainment Conference) and the NET Honours.

History

Nigerian Entertainment Today (NET) was established on November 23, 2009 by Ayeni Adekunle. NET also ran as a print media and its printed copies circulated in about 37 major Nigerian cities and sold 10,000 copies weekly. In 2016, NET gradually phased out its print version as many of its readers moved online in search of entertainment news. In April 2013, a website ranking organisation, Alexa ranked Netng 33rd most visited website in Nigeria. Days after the ranking was announced, NET website (www.thenetng.com) came under a sustained hackers attack believed to be from certain Rocco Mancini who took total control of the site and made it inaccessible to visitors. The hackers initially demanded a ransom of $1,200. Later this amount was reduced but the publisher refused to pay any ransom to the hackers preferring to launch a new domain (www.thenet.ng). By 2014, the new website was ranked among 100 top websites in Nigeria by Alexa. The NET Newspaper Limited (NNL) and all its subsidiaries including Netng was acquired in 2019 by ID Africa. The acquisition ceded total ownership rights to ID Africa.

Reportage

Netng is known for breaking and reporting exclusive entertainment news. For instance, Netng was first to break the news of the birth of

Wizkid Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (born 16 July 1990), known professionally as Wizkid, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. A prominent figure in the modern-day Afrobeats music scene, Wizkid is regarded as one of the biggest and most influential Afri ...

and Ice Prince's kids. In 2012, Netng reported an exclusive interview granted it by

D'Banj Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo (born 9 June 1980), better known by his stage name D'banj, is a Nigerian singer and rapper and the founder of Mo' Hits Records with producer Don Jazzy. He has won several music awards, including the awards for ''Best Af ...

in London providing a comprehensive insight into what led to the break up of

Don Jazzy Michael Collins Ajereh (born 26 November 1982), known professionally as Don Jazzy, is a Nigerian record producer. He is the founder and the CEO of Mavin Records. Don Jazzy was co-owner of the now-defunct Mo' Hits Records record label with D'b ...

and D'banj (co-founders of

Mo' Hits Records Mo'Hits Records (popularly called Mo'Hits) was a Nigeria-based music record label owned by D'banj and Don Jazzy. According to Nigeria's Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Mo'Hits Records Limited was founded in 2006, signing D'banj as its first ...

). This exclusive report laid to rest speculations about the cause of their breakup. The maiden print edition of the Netng broke the news of the death of a Nigerian rapper,

Da Grin Oladapo Olaitan Olaonipekun, also known as Dagrin (25 October 1984 – 22 April 2010), was a Nigerian rapper from Ogun, Nigeria. A film of his life entitled ''Ghetto Dreamz'' was released in April 2011. Early life Olaonipekun's home was in Mei ...

with a special tribute. Printed copies of the paper sold out within weeks of its first emergence in news stands across 37 major cities in Nigeria.

References

{{Reflist Newspapers published in Lagos Publications established in 2010 2009 establishments in Nigeria Companies based in Lagos Weekly newspapers published in Nigeria