Nigeria’s pay TV operators may face a fresh wave of competition as the government prepares to roll out its Digital Switch Over (DSO) project nationwide.
The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) recently confirmed the Federal Government is ready to relaunch the DSO project, targeting at least 40 million television households with up to 100 free-to-air channels.
For years, leading pay TV operators such as MultiChoice, the South African company behind DStv and GOtv, and StarTimes have dominated Nigeria’s television market.
The new rollout threatens that dominance because viewers will not need a subscription once they buy a set-top box and pay a small annual access fee.
NBC Director-General Charles Ebuebu said the renewed DSO strategy replaces the commission’s earlier terrestrial transmission model, which achieved limited coverage.
Ebuebu leads Nigeria’s broadcast regulator and is overseeing the rollout of the satellite-based platform meant to widen access to free television nationwide.
“We are gunning for 40 million TV households. Count 40 million homes at a minimum. That’s what we’re targeting. The satellite platform will provide up to 100 free-to-air television channels across the country,” he said.
Why The Last Rollout Fell Short
Nigeria’s earlier DSO plan launched in eight states under the last administration, carrying between 24 and 28 channels depending on location.
That plan combined terrestrial broadcasting, meant to cover 75% to 80% of the country, with satellite services for areas where terrain such as mountains blocked terrestrial signals.
However, the terrestrial rollout ended up covering less than a quarter of Nigeria, exposing major gaps in infrastructure and coverage.
In August 2024, President Bola Tinubu approved a ₦10 billion grant to the NBC to help revive the project, expand access to TV services and free up spectrum for other technological uses.
The satellite-based approach in the new rollout is designed to sidestep the terrain problems that limited the earlier terrestrial model.
Several past deadlines for the DSO rollout have been missed, but officials say this latest programme is expected to reshape Nigeria’s television landscape and end the near-monopoly pay TV operators have held for years.
Nigerians Welcome The Plan, But Some Stay Cautious
The plan has raised hope for millions of Nigerians who have struggled with rising pay TV subscription fees or cannot afford them at all.
Paul Onyekwe, a DStv user in Magboro, Ogun State, told Daily Independent the initiative would ease the financial strain pay TV operators have placed on subscribers.
“I am very happy for the steps being taken by the Federal Government to save us from unnecessary financial exploitation by some pay TV operators. Enough is enough of this rip-off. If the Federal Government is serious with this digital switch over rollout this time, I think it will be a big plus for Nigeria and Nigerians. We have had enough from these operators,” he said.
Samson Akindele, a pay TV customer in Ogba, Lagos State, said DStv, StarTimes and other operators have raised subscription rates arbitrarily for years.
“We have been at the mercy of these operators who have been shortchanging us. This time around, if the government will make its promise for the DSO deployment, I believe we will have an option that can limit the monopoly of the existing pay TV operators. Yes, I know they may still be relevant, especially in the area of sports, but not everybody is a sports lover,” he said.
Separately, telecom operator MTN Nigeria has been expanding its Fibre X service, a fibre internet initiative that also supports television and data services, targeting underserved middle-income and high-income households across the country.
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