DSO may trigger $350m advertising revenue in Lagos

• 1million job opportunities beckons

The Digital Switch Over (DSO), which became effective in Lagos last Thursday, may trigger a $350 million advertising revenue for the state and players in the sector.

At the official transition of Lagos from analogue to digital broadcasting, it was disclosed that with 60 per cent of advertising revenue domiciled in Lagos, this has brought huge opportunities for advertisers.

Representative of the Chairman of Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), Agata Amata, said advertisers would reap more as the state transits from analogue to digital broadcasting, “this is because 60 per cent of advertising revenue resides in Lagos. If well tapped and harnessed, the sector can further record boom.”

Corroborating Amata, Chairman, Middleware Managers, Toyin Subair, said the DSO is democratization of television in the state, which is going to be turned into a beautiful experience for residents.

“About $350 million is coming to Lagos through advertisement; this is because 60 per cent of advertising revenue resides in Lagos. So, it is envisaged that there will be increased spending on advertisement. Moreover, there are going to be between 30 and 60 channels for transmission in Lagos,” he stated.

MEANWHILE, the Federal Government has said the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting would create one million jobs in Nigeria in the next three years.

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said this at the Lagos launch. The DSO rollout is intended to cover an additional 13 states in 2021, according to the minister. These states will be joining FCT, Kwara, Kaduna, Enugu, and Osun.

“This may look like a daunting task. Indeed, it is. But the fact that we are here in Lagos today is a testimony to our resilience and determination to ensure the success of the transition from analogue to digital television across the country,” the minister stated.

The DSO rollout in Lagos is unique as it is the first time the DSO project would be beaming 60 choice channels to television households, according to the minister.

Mohammed said, “Also, the DSO provides us with a great platform to key into the Lagos Smart City Project, which seeks to use technology to enhance service delivery in all spheres of life.

“The DSO is not just about high-fidelity sound and picture, it is about creating jobs, especially for our teeming youth, stimulating local content, and empowering channel owners.

“In addition, a large number of the one million jobs to be created by the DSO project in the next three years will come from Lagos.” According to the minister, there are over one million Set-Top-Boxes ready to be distributed across the state. The boxes are locally manufactured, hence more boxes will be produced and released with time, he said.