Indigenous firm hails FG as NBC liberalises broadcast

National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has directed Multichoice Nigeria Limited to sublicense some of its channels to Metro Digital. This followed a judgment of the Appeal Court in Port Harcourt on July 13, 2022.

A letter, made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt, yesterday, and addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of Multichoice and signed by George Obi, Head of Legal of NBC on behalf of the Director General, NBC, stated: “You are hereby directed to comply with the 6th edition of the NBC Code as amended, pursuant to Metro Digital’s request for channels sublicensing as ordered by the Federal Court of Appeal.”

The letter was dated October 25, 2022. Speaking on the development, the Managing Director of Metro Digital, Dr. Ifeanyi Nwafor, commended the role played by the Federal Government, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, and NBC towards the repositioning of the industry and ending the monopolistic practices that have held the industry down for a long time.

Nwafor also lauded the Judiciary for ensuring sanity and a level-playing field in the Nigeria broadcasting industry.

“The growth of the broadcast industry in Nigeria has been limited due to monopolistic practices of the dominant player in the industry. AIl indigenous companies licensed in the last 20 years did not succeed because of these practices, which include content exclusivity, warehousing, among others.

“The Federal Government, realising the danger and daunting challenges posed by these monopolistic practices, took steps to address the problem through amendment to the broadcast code.

“The code outlawed foreign and domestic acquisition of contents on the basis of exclusivity. Furthermore, licensees and broadcasters are obligated to sublicense channels to other licensees or broadcasters for commercially agreeable fees.”

Nwafor added that with the announcement of NBC complying with the court order, “the end of monopoly in Nigerian broadcasting industry will enhance competition, innovation and quality of service delivery. The industry will experience rapid growth and consumers will benefit from the competitive pricing that follows.”