The Federal Government has announced that Nigeria’s long-delayed Digital Switch Over project will officially commence nationwide rollout on June 17, 2026, marking what officials described as a major breakthrough for the country’s broadcasting sector.
Speaking after a facility tour of the headquarters of Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited in Abuja on Wednesday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the initiative would revolutionise broadcasting, advertising, and television viewership across Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa.
According to Idris, the rollout reflects the reform agenda of President Bola Tinubu in the communications and broadcast sector.
“The promise that President Bola Tinubu made that he is going to reform all sectors. We are seeing this reform in action in the broadcast industry,” the minister said.
He noted that Nigerians had waited for years for the transition from analogue broadcasting to digital transmission, adding that the process had now been completed and was ready for commissioning on June 17.
“You recall that for many years, Nigerians have been grappling with this idea of the DSO, the digital switchover.
“In other words, removing our transmissions from analogue to digital. Now this has happened, and it is ready to be commissioned by the 17th of June this year,” Idris stated.
The minister explained that the project would improve audience measurement for broadcasters and advertisers by providing accurate data on viewing patterns across demographics.
“We have gone around the facilities. We have already seen that many of the channels have been unbundled here.
“This is going to bring a lot of advantages to all the broadcasters, the viewers, and everybody that advertises,” he said.
Idris added that the new system would allow advertisers to make informed decisions based on real-time audience data.
“Now science is at play. I mean, if you are now viewing any particular station, you know who is viewing what, and how many people are viewing.
“So the standard measurement that was absent in the previous experiment is now being made available here.
“This will help advertisers to take informed decisions about what programme it is that people are watching, what it is that Nigerians want to watch across all the demographics,” he added.
The minister said the collaboration involving Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited, the National Broadcasting Commission, the Ministry of Communications, and the Ministry of Information and National Orientation made the rollout possible.
He also commended President Tinubu for providing the financial support needed to actualise the project.
“It’s been such a shame in the past that Nigeria has not been able to achieve this. But now, the digital switchover is here,” he said.
Idris further disclosed that the new platform would offer clearer and free television services while encouraging competition among broadcasters and content creators.
“Competition is going to set in. Everybody is going to compete. Content is going to grow. Viewership, hopefully, will also grow,” he stated.
He added that the system would soon migrate fully to high-definition broadcasting.
“The most important thing is that we are now moving to HD. After the launch, we will be fully in HD,” the minister said.
Addressing concerns over set-top boxes used in previous DSO efforts, Idris explained that the earlier system relied on encrypted devices with limited flexibility and higher costs for users.
“In the past, the set-top boxes provided under earlier Digital Switch Over efforts were encrypted, meaning you had limited flexibility in choosing or switching services.
“As a result, the cost also became higher. Now, this service is free, and the government has already absorbed some of these costs,” he explained.
Idris noted that previous DSO implementation had only reached eight states before the renewed nationwide push.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited, Jane Egerton-Idehen, said the organisation was committed to uninterrupted service delivery and continuous technological advancement.
“It is important for us that the service delivery is perfect and the technology is continuous,” she said.
Egerton-Idehen also revealed plans to launch two additional satellites to improve service coverage and operations.
“The president has given us the ability to even launch two more satellites. So the work has only just started. The work has only just begun,” she added.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission, Charles Ebuebu, said the platform was designed to leverage emerging technologies and expand accessibility beyond urban centres.
“So what we have done is basically taking into consideration emerging technologies, which is why we are going by way of the application.
“Regardless of where you are, and even if you think about demographics, the younger population likes things on the go. They are mobile devices, that’s why we put this there,” Ebuebu said.
According to him, the platform would launch with about 100 television channels, with additional content providers already indicating interest in joining.
“Now we are updating the list of channels. We are going to have 100 channels by the day of launch,” he disclosed.
Ebuebu also revealed that the commission had established six regional studios across the country to support local content creators and reduce dependence on Lagos, Abuja, and Kano.
“You don’t have to travel to Lagos or Abuja or Kano to go and develop your content. You just go to the nearest regional studio and develop,” he stated.
He added that plans were underway for a multilingual national call centre and a nationwide network of certified installers to support users of the digital platform.
“In all, we want to create the market for Nigeria. One platform for Nigeria,” he said.
The National Broadcasting Commission had announced in 2024 that it secured a N10bn grant approved by President Tinubu to expand digital television coverage nationwide as part of renewed efforts to accelerate the DSO project, which was first introduced in 2016.
At the time, Ebuebu explained that while digital terrestrial television rollout had already commenced in eight states, the next phase would focus on nationwide satellite transmission to ensure Nigerians across the country could access the same digital television content.
