The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has projected that Nigeria’s ongoing Digital Switch-Over (DSO) programme will open up a N605.2 billion national advertising market, reshaping broadcasting and content creation as the country transitions fully into digital terrestrial television.
The Director-General of the NBC, Charles Ebuebu, disclosed this in Abuja during a press briefing attended by Nairametrics, alongside a guided tour of facilities at the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT).
He said the nationwide rollout of the Digital Switch-Over is scheduled for 17 June 2026, while the final analogue switch-off is expected to be completed by 31 December 2028.
According to him, the reform will fundamentally transform the economics of broadcasting, improve infrastructure access, and expand content distribution channels across Nigeria.
“The DSO will enable Nigerian government institutions to deliver digital broadcasting to every household across a vast and uneven terrain within a commercially sustainable, technologically credible, and regulatorily defensible structure,” Ebuebu said.
He added that the transition would significantly increase revenue opportunities for broadcasters and creative industry players, especially through improved audience measurement systems.
“The DSO will unlock the N605.2 billion national advertising market through verifiable audience measurement, generating new revenue streams for broadcasters and content creators,” he said.
Ebuebu also highlighted wider economic gains, noting that the release of the digital dividend spectrum in the 700/800 MHz band valued at more than $1 billion, would be channelled into digital infrastructure and rural broadband expansion.
He further stated that Nigeria’s creative industry, already contributing about N5 trillion to the economy and supporting over 4.2 million jobs, would benefit significantly from the digital transition.
He explained that ordinary viewers would not face subscription costs under the FreeTV platform, adding that access would remain free-to-air, with affordable equipment requirements.
“To ordinary Nigerians, the basic FreeTV service carries no monthly subscription.
”The dish required is minimal, while the decoder is an open-standard DVB-S2 device freely available on the open market for as little as N15,000–N25,000,” he said.
Ebuebu urged broadcasters under the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) and independent stations to migrate to the FreeTV platform, take advantage of the 18-month free carriage window, and participate actively in its governance structure.
However, he acknowledged that the set-top box framework is currently facing legal disputes involving local manufacturers, though he maintained that the case does not amount to a nationwide injunction that could halt the rollout.
On satellite infrastructure, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NIGCOMSAT Limited, Jane Egerton-Idehen, said plans are underway to strengthen Nigeria’s broadcasting resilience through new satellite capacity.
She disclosed that NIGCOMSAT 2A is expected to launch in 2028, while NIGCOMSAT 2B is projected for 2029, both under structured development timelines.
“The Commission and NIGCOMSAT have already secured an interim commercial backup satellite at the same 42.5°E orbital slot to ensure seamless service during the transition,” she said.
Egerton-Idehen added that the agency will avoid any nationwide dish realignment, noting that such an exercise would be disruptive and unnecessary.
She further explained that a nationwide rollout covering about five million households would cost between N5 billion and N10 billion, adding that implementation would proceed in phases to avoid service disruption.
“We will implement a phased, zone-by-zone migration to avoid national blackouts,” she said.
The DSO initiative was reaffirmed in 2022 after the Federal Government announced it had cleared outstanding debts owed to service providers involved in the transition process.
At the time, former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, made the disclosure during the 26th edition of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration Scorecard Series in Abuja.
He stated that government had resolved to make the Digital Switch-Over sustainable and largely driven by private sector participation, following earlier delays in implementation.
Mohammed also emphasised that the programme must remain self-sustaining, with no further subsidies for set-top boxes or signal carriage.
The Digital Switch-Over, which involves migrating from analogue to digital broadcasting, has remained a key policy priority aimed at expanding local content production, creating jobs, reducing content monopolies, and improving on-demand television services nationwide.
