Reality TV star Phyna has accused the organisers of the 2026 Streamer Awards of using Nigerian streamers Carter Efe and Peller to promote the event despite allegedly knowing that neither would win the Best International Streamer award.
Phyna reacted after the two Nigerian creators lost the award to Indian streamer Ashswag, questioning whether the organisers ever intended to recognise a Nigerian streamer.
“Nothing you want to tell me, they know they are not going to give it to a Nigerian streamer. Trust me, they know that they are not going to give it to a Nigerian streamer. They use us run ads. Jesu, they use us run better ads,” she said.
Her remarks suggested that Nigerian creators were given visibility to attract attention to the awards, but were not going to receive the top prize.
Carter Efe and Peller were among the nominees in the Best International Streamer category, but Ashswag eventually emerged as the winner.
‘They used us run ads’ — Phyna blasts streamer awards over Carter Efe, Peller’s loss
The much-anticipated historical epic, King Kosoko, The Battle for Lagos, has premiered in Lagos, bringing together traditional rulers, cultural custodians, Nollywood stars and other distinguished guests for a night dedicated to history, heritage and Yoruba culture.
The world premiere was held on Sunday, August 23, 2026, at IMAX Cinema, Lekki, ahead of the film’s nationwide cinema release scheduled for Friday, August 28.
Produced by Teqsus Studios, the premiere featured a red-carpet gathering of prominent figures from the traditional institution, the Nigerian film industry and the wider cultural community.
The presence of traditional rulers, high chiefs and representatives of the Kosoko royal family further highlighted the historical and cultural importance attached to the production.
King Kosoko, The Battle for Lagos tells the story of Oba Kosoko and one of the most significant periods in the history of Lagos.
The film explores the political struggles surrounding Lagos, its relationship with the Benin Empire, competition over trade and influence, as well as the wider impact of external forces during the colonial era.
The production also examines the intersection of regional politics, trade and the transatlantic slave trade while portraying the struggle to preserve Yoruba identity and the sovereignty of Lagos.
At the centre of the story is Oba Kosoko, whose leadership, political strategy and resistance to opposing forces are portrayed against a backdrop of rivalry, betrayal and shifting alliances.
Directed by Adebayo Tijani, the film was produced by Ayo Ajayi and Segun Ololo Kosoko, with Marc Adebesin serving as co-producer.
The ensemble cast includes Femi Adebayo, Tina Mba, Odunlade Adekola, Femi Branch, Jide Kosoko, Yinka Quadri, Dele Odule, Gabriel Afolayan, Adeniyi Johnson, Sola Kosoko, Aisha Lawal and Kola Ajeyemi, among other performers.
The filmmakers described the project as a celebration of heritage and leadership, designed to bring an important chapter of Lagos history to contemporary audiences through cinematic storytelling.
Following the successful Lagos premiere, King Kosoko, The Battle for Lagos will open in cinemas across Nigeria on August 28, giving audiences an opportunity to experience the historical drama and its portrayal of one of Lagos’ defining royal conflicts.
Luna Winter didn’t start off with an agency or a label, or even with the belief that anyone would pay attention to what she produced. Her first venture into the world of online content came through a livestream she nearly talked herself out of doing.
Nowadays, Luna, also known as “Milkiwifey,” has built an organic Instagram following of roughly 700,000. What also stands out is the geographical and cultural reach of the audience the German creator has built, spanning the United States, Latin America, especially Mexico, and the German-speaking world. It wasn’t a polished career plan that led to that audience. It grew out of the interests that Luna had been exploring privately for years.
From Private Hobby to Public Content
Luna was a fan of anime and games from an early age. Pokémon and Sailor Moon were among her earliest interests, while cosplay became a private form of expression for her when she was a teenager. She stitched costumes, transformed into characters, and went to conventions as a fan. She didn’t know she would eventually be able to build a life around those costumes.
The first big shift was when Luna chose to livestream in her early twenties. Going public itself was a challenge. She had been cosplaying privately for years and was afraid that people would laugh at her or that no one would pay attention. However, viewers did show up. Luna began building an early community through streaming, creating the first momentum in her online journey.
Knowing When to Change Direction
Luna had momentum, but streaming didn’t feel like the right direction for her. The regular schedule of performing live week after week was quietly wearing her down. Although streaming seemed to be working from the outside, it didn’t feel right to Luna.
Instead of continuing down that path, Luna walked away and concentrated on cosplay.
“The hardest decision wasn’t starting. It was quitting the thing that was finally working, because I could feel it wasn’t me,” Luna says. “Everyone tells you to push through. Nobody tells you when to let go.”
That choice took her career path toward the creative work she’d been doing for years, even before going online. Her high-production, detail-focused transformations of anime and gaming characters soon reached audiences outside Germany.
Overcoming Cultural and Geographical Barriers
One of the unique facets of Luna Winter’s development has been her international audience. One way to reach viewers beyond Germany was her cosplay. Comedy provided another. Luna started making comedic short-form videos about German language and culture. The content connected with a large audience in the United States.
That content became an unexpected bridge between her German identity and American viewers. Around 20% of Luna’s audience is in the USA today. She also has a strong audience in Latin America, especially Mexico, and in the German-speaking world. In total, she has reached roughly 700,000 followers on Instagram. She built that following organically and entirely independently, without an agency or label behind her rise.
Personality Behind the Numbers
The size of the audience only tells part of Luna’s story. Her style of cosplay is not just to model a costume but to perform. She acts and brings a theatrical, high-energy presence to her transformations. The same personality also connects her cosplay with her comedy about German language and culture. Although the formats are different, both reflect Luna’s high-energy and theatrical approach to performance.
It’s a way of doing things that is based on her long-standing interests. As a kid and teenager, Luna was an anime and gaming enthusiast and private cosplayer. She came from the culture long before she developed an online presence.
Building the Next Stage Independently
Luna’s goals are not just confined to what she has already built. She would like to take her cosplay further with more video, more performance and increasingly ambitious builds. Her acting instinct is expected to remain an important part of that development. In the longer term, she sees herself growing from being considered a “cosplayer” into a broader pop-culture creator and on-camera performer. Continuing to grow the international community around her work is also a part of that goal.
For Luna Winter, reaching roughly 700,000 Instagram followers did not follow a conventional path. Her career grew from a private teenage interest in cosplay, an uncertain first livestream, a decision to walk away from a format that no longer felt right, and a choice to focus on the creative work that had always interested her.
The outcome is an international following that Luna built on her own terms, without an agency or label behind her rise.
Contains custom information set by the web developer via the _setCustomVar method in Google Analytics. This cookie is updated every time new data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
2 years after last activity
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_ga
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gali
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
1 minute
_gac_
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
90 days
__utma
ID used to identify users and sessions
2 years after last activity
__utmt
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
__utmz
Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
Marketing cookies are used to follow visitors to websites. The intention is to show ads that are relevant and engaging to the individual user.
Name
Description
Duration
__smWelcomeMatShown
30 years
A video-sharing platform for users to upload, view, and share videos across various genres and topics.
Registers a unique ID to keep statistics of what videos from YouTube the user has seen.
Session
DEVICE_INFO
Used to detect if the visitor has accepted the marketing category in the cookie banner. This cookie is necessary for GDPR-compliance of the website.
179 days
LOGIN_INFO
This cookie is used to play YouTube videos embedded on the website.
2 years
VISITOR_PRIVACY_METADATA
Youtube visitor privacy metadata cookie
180 days
GPS
Registers a unique ID on mobile devices to enable tracking based on geographical GPS location.
1 day
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
Tries to estimate the users' bandwidth on pages with integrated YouTube videos. Also used for marketing
179 days
PREF
This cookie stores your preferences and other information, in particular preferred language, how many search results you wish to be shown on your page, and whether or not you wish to have Google’s SafeSearch filter turned on.