DSO implementation will unlock Nigeria’s N605.2 billion advertising market, generate billions in spectrum revenue and expand free digital television access, according to the National Broadcasting Commission.
The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has said the Digital Switch Over (DSO) project will unlock Nigeria’s N605.2 billion advertising market through improved audience measurement systems.
The commission also disclosed that the digital transition would free the 700/800MHz spectrum band for future auctions capable of generating more than one billion dollars in revenue.
Mrs. Clementine Usman-Wamba, NBC Deputy Director of Public Affairs, disclosed this during the South-West community engagement and training programme for DSO installers held in Ibadan at the weekend.
According to her, the spectrum is valued at more than 50 billion dollars, making the digital migration economically significant for Nigeria.
Usman-Wamba said the country’s creative industry, which contributes about N5 trillion to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and supports more than 4.2 million jobs, would also benefit from improved content distribution and export opportunities across West Africa.
She announced that analogue television transmission would be discontinued, urging viewers still using analogue signals to obtain digital decoders before the nationwide switchover.
The NBC official explained that the Free TV platform would enable households to access multiple television channels without subscription through digital decoders and satellite dishes.
She said the commission, in partnership with the Nigeria Communications Satellite Limited (NigComSat), was training installers across the country to support the rollout of the DSO project.
According to Usman-Wamba, trained installers are critical to the successful implementation of the DSO, particularly following the launch of the Direct-to-Home (DTH) service and mobile application.
She explained that households equipped with Free TV decoders and satellite dishes would be able to receive television signals by properly aligning their dishes with NigComSat satellites.
She added that the installation process requires technical expertise, making trained installers essential for connecting households to the Free TV platform.
Some of the trainees commended the Federal Government and the NBC for introducing the Free TV initiative and providing technical training opportunities.
They said the programme would create employment opportunities for young Nigerians while enabling low-income households to enjoy access to multiple television channels without paying subscription fees.
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