After years of delays, missed deadlines, and stalled implementation, the Federal Government has announced that Nigeria is finally set to complete its transition from analogue to digital television broadcasting, with the nationwide Digital Switch Over (DSO) programme scheduled for an official unveiling in June.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this in Abuja yesterday during a facility tour of the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), during which top officials inspected infrastructure supporting the digital broadcasting platform.

The minister said the June rollout would mark a turning point in Nigeria’s broadcasting industry, ending years of uncertainty over the migration from analogue to digital broadcasting.

“The digital switchover is here. Everyone can now watch whatever they want in real time and cleanly. Free TV everywhere for everybody,” Idris said.

Nigeria’s journey to digital broadcasting dates back over a decade, following a directive from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) requiring member nations to migrate from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting. The transition was expected to improve picture quality, increase channel capacity and free up spectrum space for telecommunications services.

The country, however, struggled to meet earlier deadlines due to funding challenges, infrastructure gaps, policy inconsistencies and setbacks linked to the rollout of set-top boxes and signal distribution systems.

During the tour, Idris stated that the President Bola Tinubu administration had now revived the process through stronger collaboration among the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, NIGCOMSAT, and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

According to him, the new digital platform would significantly improve broadcasting standards, advertising systems and audience measurement processes across the country.

“Now science is at play. If you are now viewing any particular station, you know who is viewing what, how many people are viewing,” he said.

The minister explained that the system would provide broadcasters and advertisers with accurate audience data, allowing them to better understand viewer preferences and target programmes more effectively.

He also said the new platform would end the monopoly within the television distribution market and encourage healthy competition among broadcasters and content producers.

“Competition is going to set in. Everybody is going to compete. Content is going to grow. Viewership, hopefully, will also grow,” Idris added.

he minister noted that viewers would enjoy clearer television signals in High Definition (HD) format and access channels through mobile applications and satellite-enabled services powered by NIGCOMSAT across Nigeria and parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

He further stated that, unlike previous DSO attempts, where encrypted set-top boxes increased costs for users, the current model was structured to make access easier and more affordable.