The federal government says Nigeria’s long-delayed digital switch-over (DSO) programme will unlock about N605 billion in advertising revenue and generate more than $1 billion from digital spectrum auctions.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, Charles
Ebuebu, director-general of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), said
the nationwide launch of the digital broadcasting framework had been fixed for
June 17, 2026.
He added that the final analogue switch-off would take place
on December 31, 2028, noting that the government’s renewed “big picture”
strategy was designed to accelerate Nigeria’s transition from analogue to
digital broadcasting.
According to the NBC boss, the programme would unlock the
N605.2 billion advertising market through audience measurement systems capable
of providing verifiable data for broadcasters and advertisers.
He said the release of the 700MHz and 800MHz digital
dividend spectrum could generate over $1 billion in auction proceeds.
He said the funds generated from the spectrum auctions would
be reinvested into digital infrastructure and rural broadband expansion.
‘NIGERIA NEEDS A WORKING SYSTEM’
Ebuebu said Nigeria’s creative economy, which contributes
about N5 trillion to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and employs
more than 4.2 million Nigerians, would benefit from a modern digital
distribution system.
According to him, local content distributed through
NigComSat-1R could reach audiences across West Africa.
He noted that every naira invested in local content could
generate a 2.5 multiplier effect on the economy, citing United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Deloitte
benchmarks.
Ebuebu defended the adoption of a hybrid broadcasting model
built around direct-to-home (DTH), digital terrestrial television (DTT), and
internet protocol (IP) platforms.
“For nearly two decades, Nigeria’s digital switch-over has
occupied the space between policy ambition and operational reality,” he said.
“The strategic mistake has been to treat DSO as a contest
between technologies rather than as a national access problem. Nigeria does not
need a doctrinal argument. It needs a working system.”
The NBC DG said the revised framework aligned with the 2012
white paper on DSO, which recognised both terrestrial and satellite
broadcasting standards.
He added that satellite delivery through NigComSat was
intended to improve television access in underserved and remote communities.
NBC DEFENDS FREE TV MODEL
Ebuebu compared Nigeria’s approach with countries such as
the United Kingdom (UK), Australia, Kenya, South Africa and Morocco, saying
large broadcasting markets had relied on hybrid systems during digital
migration.
He dismissed concerns over affordability, saying the
proposed FreeTV platform would not require monthly subscription fees.
“The decoder is an open-standard DVB-S2 device freely
available for as little as N15,000 to N25,000,” he said.
He added that the government was considering subsidy schemes
and financing arrangements for low-income households.
He said the programme would also create opportunities for
local set-top box manufacturers and assemblers due to the expected demand for
millions of digital receiving devices.
Ebuebu acknowledged ongoing litigation involving local
manufacturers but said it did not amount to an injunction stopping the
implementation of the DSO programme.
The NBC DG said broadcasters joining the FreeTV platform
would enjoy an 18-month free carriage window, nationwide reach, and access to
audience measurement data through the proposed GARB system.
“In broadcast markets that work, audience data is not an
afterthought. It is the commercial oxygen of the entire ecosystem,” he said.
He said the digital platform would provide more than 100
television channels, including indigenous-language channels.
Ebuebu called on broadcasters, telecom operators, signal
distributors, advertisers, manufacturers, and state governments to support the
implementation process.
He also disclosed that a national DSO stakeholders’ meeting
would be convened within 30 days of the June 17 launch to address
implementation concerns and industry participation.
On her part, Jane Egerton-Idehen, managing director and
chief executive officer (CEO) of NIGCOMSAT Limited, said the switch-over
programme would support diversification of Nigeria’s digital economy and create
employment opportunities across the broadcasting and technology sectors.
“It helps diversification of the digital economy, creating
jobs,” she said.
‘WE ARE NOT SELLING SET-TOP BOXES’
Egerton-Idehen also dismissed concerns that Nigerians would
be forced to buy devices directly from the government, clarifying that
NIGCOMSAT is not selling set-top boxes.
“We are not selling any set-top boxes. There is no need for
anyone to come to your house to set up a set-top box,” she said.
She said the new digital broadcasting framework would
provide wide coverage across Africa through satellite technology.
“The only place we are not showing is in North Africa;
anywhere else in the continent, you will get it,” she said.
The NIGCOMSAT CEO expressed confidence in the technical
partners supporting the digital migration programme.
She also assured Nigerians that technical concerns
surrounding the transition would be addressed by the agencies involved.
Egerton-Idehen added that the federal government was already
planning additional satellite investments to strengthen digital infrastructure.
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