By Ojima-ojo Abubakar
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.
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.
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.
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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