Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
The Federal Government has fixed December 2028 as the deadline for Nigeria’s final transition from analogue to digital television broadcasting as part of efforts to expand access to free television services across the country.
Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission, Charles Ebuebu, disclosed this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja, saying the renewed Digital Switch Over project aims to reach at least 40 million television households with up to 100 free-to-air channels.
According to him, the new strategy replaces the previous terrestrial transmission model, which achieved limited coverage after being launched in eight states.
“We are gunning for 40 million TV households. Count 40 million homes at a minimum. That’s what we’re targeting,” he said.
Ebuebu explained that the government adopted a satellite-based platform after it became evident that terrestrial broadcasting had covered less than a quarter of the country and would require about 160 transmission towers, imported equipment and several years to achieve nationwide reach.
“We, therefore, decided to go by satellite, which covers Nigeria completely from day one,” he said.
He noted that the renewed DSO platform currently carries more than 73 channels nationwide and is expected to expand to 100 channels in the coming months, allowing viewers to access television stations from different parts of Nigeria regardless of location.
The NBC boss said the commission would implement the analogue switch-off in phases, with future stages covering pay television services, studio development and designated production centres for content creators.
“We put a timeline for analogue switch-off. Before that time, a lot of things will be put in place. This is just phase one,” he said.
Ebuebu added that audience measurement was advancing, with a proof of concept completed in about 7,000 homes in Lagos, while implementation had begun in Abuja.
He said the transition would free up valuable spectrum for other sectors, including telecommunications, financial technology and application services, adding that the asset would be professionally valued before allocation.
On obsolete analogue broadcasting equipment, Ebuebu said the commission was developing a policy guided by expert recommendations and international best practices, while efforts were also being considered to ensure environmentally responsible disposal of unusable assets.
