Targets data-driven broadcasting

Nigeria has officially commenced the Phase 1 rollout of its national Audience Measurement System (AMS) in Lagos.

This significant advancement follows the successful launch of the revitalised Digital Switch-Over (DSO) platform in June 2026 at the NigComSat Headquarters in Abuja.

The DSO initiative, spearheaded by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), under the brand name FreeTV, is driving Nigeria’s transition from analogue to digital broadcasting.

Also, by targeting nationwide coverage and more than 100 free-to-air channels, the DSO provides the digital infrastructure on which the new AMS will operate. The AMS rollout establishes the measurement layer for this ecosystem, promising a new era of transparency and precision for the industry.

The new system, which was unveiled in Lagos yesterday by First Media and Entertainment Integrated Limited (FMEIL), in collaboration with the NBC, revolutionises audience research by replacing traditional, manual diary-based methods with a modern Peoplemeter-based Television Audience Measurement (TAM) service.

However, devices installed in selected homes will passively and securely capture viewing habits, transmitting data daily to a central data centre, which will provide broadcasters, advertisers, and regulators with an accurate, real-time picture of audience behaviour across Nigeria.

The Lagos deployment follows a rigorous technical testing phase and a successful proof-of-concept pilot in selected Lagos homes.

The pilot’s positive results were presented to key stakeholders in Abuja in the second quarter of 2024, confirming the robustness of the end-to-end infrastructure, spanning Peoplemeter devices, data-enabled routers, and backend data centre operations.

Panel households are being selected from Nigeria’s first-ever nationwide establishment survey, completed in the first half of 2023. The extensive survey covered 60,000 households across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), including 7,000 in Lagos.

Recruitment of panellists from this baseline is underway, using statistical criteria to ensure the Lagos panel accurately reflects the television-owning population.

Households selected for the national panel will play a crucial role in shaping Nigeria’s official television measurement standard.

Chief Operating Officer of FMEIL-GARB, Patrick Gomes, said: “As part of the process of calling prospective homes to join the panel — to introduce, brief and persuade, our recruiters are fully trained and guided by a structured, step-by-step approach, with complete scripts, prompts and answers to frequently asked questions.

On his part, Director-General of the NBC, Charles Ebuebu, said: “The rollout of this AMS marks a transformative milestone for Nigeria’s broadcasting ecosystem.

Also, Director-General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Dr Olalekan Fadolapo, said the audience measurement offers a huge advantage to the Nigerian advertising industry and stakeholders.