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The Nigerian government has expressed its commitment to the June 2017 deadline for complete migration from analog television broadcasting to digital television, otherwise known as digital switchover (DSO). President Muhammadu Buhari expressed the nation's commitment at the launch of the Abuja digital switchover on Thursday.

Represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Buhari said the DSO will be rolled out in all the states, stating that the transition from analogue to digital television broadcasting would create jobs in the areas of contents, software development and production of Set-top Boxes – the device placed on televisions to receive digital signal.  

The World International Telecommunication Union Council set June 17, 2017 as deadline for the migration to digital television broadcasting in West African countries. Buhari said the pilot phase of the DSO roll-out was successfully launched in Jos last April. 

“Let me restate for emphasis that this government is irreversibly committed to meeting the June 2017 deadline for the switchover in the West African sub-region and also to the roll-out of the DSO in all the states of the federation," Buhari said.

The project is being led by the Ministry of Information and Culture and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC). Pinnacle Communications Limited is the signal provider for the Nigerian DSO.

The digital TV platform will provide viewers with access to 30 free channels with bouquet of programmes on local, national and international contents. The DSO will also provide free and easy access to government and public information; current affairs and news.

“I am confident that DSO would liberalize access to digital broadcasting and increase the versatility of media information, interactive programming, two-way data exchanges, mobile reception of video, internet and multimedia data will open up," the president said. “The opportunities that this will provide are only limited by the imagination. Advertising, formal education, sales and marketing are obvious low hanging fruits."

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the transition would generate about N100 billion per annum through the Free-to-air TV distribution network for the Nollywood industry and also grow the TV advertising market by $400 million per annum through audience measurement.

"Our digital environment will give equal opportunity to everyone to be rewarded for investment in creativity, and that is what the regime of forensic audience measurement, which digitisation offers, will afford. If it is your programme people are watching, you will be the recipient of higher revenues because the advertisers will run to you," the Minister stated.

Sen. Suleiman Adokwe, the Chairman Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation, said DSO would democratise television viewing for the masses by allowing them freedom of choice from many options.

Director-General of NBC, Malam Ishaq Modibbo-Kawu, said Set-top Boxes would be sold at a subsidised rate of N1,500 per box. He said the box is interactive and would provide other value added services for television viewers.