Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
The federal government yesterday said the Digital Switch Over (DSO) project was complete and would be rolled out nationwide on June 17, 2026.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stated this during a facility tour of the headquarters of the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NigComSat) in Abuja.
“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 said.
Idris, who was received by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NigComSat, Jane Egerton-Idehen, said the project would impact broadcasting, advertising and television viewership in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa.
He added that the DSO would also improve audience measurement for broadcasters and advertisers, enabling them to determine viewing patterns and make informed advertising decisions.
Idris said: “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.
“This is going to bring a lot of advantages to all the broadcasters, the viewers, and everybody that advertises, the standard measurement that was absent in the previous experiment is now being made available here.”
He assured that the DSO would grow viewership and ensure healthy competition among broadcasters and content producers, adding the platform, expected to transit fully to high-definition would also provide free and clean television services.
Idris also explained how the new system differs from the truncated DSO initiatives, noting that the set-top boxes manufactured in the past were encrypted and 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 said.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Charles Ebuebu, said 100 television channels would be available on the day of the launch.
He said the new DSO platform was designed to leverage emerging technologies and expand accessibility beyond major cities, adding the NBC had also established six regional studios nationwide to support content creators and reduce dependence on Lagos and Abuja.