{
  "id": 4178414,
  "title": "INVESTIGATION: ‘Download Movies for Free’: Inside Telegram piracy scene costing Nollywood billions",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/investigation-download-movies-for-free-inside-telegram-piracy-scene",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-29T10:55:30.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ripples Nigeria",
    "slug": "ripples-nigeria",
    "url": "https://www.ripplesnigeria.com/investigation-download-movies-for-free-inside-telegram-piracy-scene-costing-nollywood-billions/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Aduke Balogun, a schoolteacher in Omu-Aran, Kwara State, had been eagerly anticipating the release of Behind the Scenes, the highest-grossing Nollywood film of all time produced by Nigerian actress Funke Akindele. She downloaded the movie from a Telegram channel in April, shortly after its release in cinemas. Telegram piracy has been a persistent issue in Nigeria since 1982, when the film Orun Mooru by Moses Olaiya was pirated. Today, digital platforms like Telegram, which have over one billion users, have become the industry's new piracy enablers. The anonymity, speed, and repeatability of Telegram make it the preferred platform for piracy in Nigeria, with advertising being another revenue stream for those behind the scenes.",
  "summary": "Aduke Balogun, a schoolteacher during the week and a tailor on weekends in Omu-Aran, Kwara State, had been waiting for over four months to watch Behind the Scenes, Nigeria’s highest-grossing Nollywood film of all time. Nigerian actress Funke Akindele, crowned the box office queen again in 2025, produced and directed the film. It tells the […] The post INVESTIGATION: ‘Download Movies for Free’:…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}