The Federal Government has said Nigeria’s long-delayed Digital Switch-Over (DSO) programme will unlock about N605 billion in advertising revenue and generate more than $1 billion from digital spectrum auctions as the country accelerates plans to complete its transition from analogue to digital broadcasting.

Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission, Charles Ebuebu, and Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NIGCOMSAT Limited, Jane Egerton-Idehen disclosed this during a press conference in Abuja on Monday.

They noted that the Federal Government‘s renewed “Big Picture” strategy would create a commercially sustainable and technologically inclusive broadcasting system for the country.

The NBC DG said the nationwide launch of the new digital broadcasting framework is scheduled for June 17, 2026, while the final analogue switch-off has been fixed for December 31, 2028.

According to the NBC, the DSO will unlock the N605.2 billion national advertising market through verifiable audience measurement, enabling broadcasters and content creators to access new revenue streams.

The Commission said the release of the 700MHz and 800MHz digital dividend spectrum is projected to generate over $1 billion in auction proceeds, which would be reinvested into digital infrastructure and rural broadband expansion.

It added that Nigeria’s creative economy, currently contributing about N5 trillion to the Gross Domestic Product and employing over 4.2 million people, would benefit from a modern distribution platform capable of exporting local content across West Africa through NigComSat-1R.

The NBC noted that every naira invested in local content could generate a 2.5 times multiplier effect on the economy, citing UNESCO and Deloitte benchmarks.

Defending the adoption of a hybrid Direct-to-Home (DTH), Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) and Internet Protocol (IP)-based broadcasting architecture, Ebuebu argued that Nigeria could no longer rely solely on terrestrial television to achieve nationwide digital access.

He maintained that the revised strategy aligns with the 2012 White Paper on DSO, which recognised both terrestrial and satellite broadcasting standards as part of a converged national broadcasting framework.

The NBC DG dismissed concerns over affordability, saying the proposed FreeTV platform would not require monthly subscription fees and that open-standard DVB-S2 decoders are already available in the Nigerian market for between N15,000 and N25,000.

According to the NBC, discussions are ongoing on subsidy schemes and financing support for low-income households to ease the transition process.

The Commission stated that the DSO would create significant opportunities for local set-top box manufacturers and assemblers due to the expected demand for millions of digital receiving devices over the coming years.

Ebuebu added that broadcasters joining the FreeTV platform would enjoy an 18-month free carriage window, nationwide reach and access to verifiable audience data through the proposed GARB measurement system.

The NBC said the digital platform is expected to provide more than 100 television channels, including dedicated indigenous language channels.

Calling for collaboration among stakeholders, Ebuebu urged broadcasters, telecom operators, signal distributors, advertisers, manufacturers and state governments to support the implementation process.

He disclosed that a national DSO stakeholders’ meeting would be convened within 30 days of the June 17 launch to address implementation concerns and deepen industry participation.