The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has unveiled a significant overhaul of Nigeria’s long-awaited digital broadcasting migration, launching a FreeTV, a fully free-to-air, direct-to-home (DTH) national platform backed by satellite and Internet Protocol (IP) delivery.

The NBC Director-General, Dr. Charles Ebuebu, who spoke at the 81st General Assembly of the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) in Abuja, acknowledged that over N60 billion invested across 17 years only produced digital signals in eight states, leaving the industry without audience data or reliable revenue.

The new drive will stamp out all the mistakes of previous digitisation efforts.

FreeTV will launch on May 15, 2026 with over 100 High Definition (HD) channels, full nationwide coverage and no encryption.

For the first 18 months, qualifying broadcasters will not pay carriage fees if they meet a 60 per cent local content quota and actively promote the platform.

A state-of-the-art audience measurement system from GARB Bulgaria, already operating in Europe since 2006, will deliver verifiable viewership data for the first time.

The NBC chief executive also announced six regional production studios in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano and Benin, which will create thousands of jobs and feed authentic Nigerian content into the national lineup.

Ebuebu noted that full analogue switch-off is fixed for December 31, 2028, adding that partnership is not optional participation but ‘co-ownership’ of the future.

He said: “We faced these challenges together. Now we will fix it together.”

Digital Switchover (DSO), otherwise known as Digital Television Transition or Analogue Switch-Off, is the global process of replacing analogue terrestrial television broadcasting with more efficient digital terrestrial television (DTT).

Key benefits include superior picture and sound quality, including HD and ultra high definition (UHD) support; more channels within the same spectrum; lower transmission power and operational costs for broadcasters; and freeing up valuable ‘digital dividend’ spectrum for mobile broadband and other services.

The switch became necessary as

analogue signals are spectrum-inefficient and outdated technically.

Digital broadcasting is more resilient, supports interactive features like Electronic Programme Guides (EPGs), and provides better reception — including on portable and mobile devices.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) coordinated regional deadlines, with many countries aiming for 2015 under the GE06 Agreement.

During the transition, broadcasters typically simulcast (broadcast both analogue and digital signals) to allow gradual migration.

Viewers with older analogue televisions require a digital set-top box (decoder) or a new digital television to continue receiving free-to-air channels.

Cable, satellite and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services are generally unaffected as they had already attained digital status before now.

Most developed nations completed the transition years ago, with the United States full-power analogue ended in 2009 (low-power extensions until 2022).

The United Kingdom completed by 2012, while many European and Asian countries followed in the 2010s.

Several African countries have faced delays due to infrastructure, funding and awareness challenges.

As of 2026, a few are still in progress or reviving earlier stalled projects.

Nigeria’s journey towards digital switch over commenced around 2006–2012, with pilot projects in Jos (2016), Abuja, Kaduna and Kwara.

The country missed the original ITU-inspired 2015 deadline due to funding shortages, infrastructure gaps, limited technical capacity and inconsistent government support.

By early 2026, the project was revived under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The NBC is collaborating with the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) on a hybrid terrestrial-satellite model to ensure a comprehensive nationwide coverage, particularly in remote areas.

Significantly more television channels with superior quality, freed spectrum for telecommunications growth, economic boost for local content production and broadcasting, as well as improved access in underserved regions are some of targeted benefits for Nigeria.

THISDAY)

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