Association Backs NBC’s Digital Switch-Over Strategy

Citing national interest, the Independent Broadcasting Association of Nigeria (IBAN) has supported the National Broadcasting Commission’s (NBC) revamped Digital Switch-Over (DSO) initiative.

It dismissed objections raised by the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) as misleading and potentially harmful to Nigeria’s long-delayed digital migration efforts.

In a statement issued yesterday by its chairman, Dr Ahmed Tijjani Ramalan, IBAN argued that the NBC’s new “Big Picture” strategy represents the most credible pathway for achieving a successful transition from analogue to digital broadcasting after years of setbacks and stalled implementation.

According to IBAN, “The positive we must say, is that when viewed from the standpoint of ‘regulatory intervention’, the NBC appears to have exercised its ‘discretionary powers’ in an effort to revive and accelerate the ‘long-stalled DSO process’.

“From that perspective, the immediate upside for the industry may lie in how effectively broadcasters utilise the proposed ’18-month free-access window’ to ‘reorganise, strengthen their digital capabilities, expand audience reach’ and position themselves for ‘long-term sustainability’ under whatever commercial framework eventually emerges.

“It is also important to acknowledge that regulators do possess ‘certain interventionist powers’ within the broader ‘public-interest and sector-development mandate’. In this instance, the NBC appears to have exercised that authority in what it considers an effort to move the digital transition process forward after years of limited progress,” it said..

The association maintained that the proposed model, built around a hybrid Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite system, Free-to-Air (FTA) television access and audience measurement tools, offers a practical solution capable of delivering broader access, improved picture quality and a stronger media economy.

IBAN accused BON of relying on what it described as an outdated understanding of broadcasting technology, arguing that modern global broadcasting systems increasingly rely on hybrid platforms rather than terrestrial networks alone.

Responding specifically to BON’s concerns over the use of satellite technology, IBAN said the objections wrongly interpreted international and national frameworks governing digital migration.

According to the association, while Nigeria’s original DSO policy focused on Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), technological realities have evolved significantly since the policy framework was introduced over a decade ago.

It pointed to countries including the United Kingdom (UK), Germany, Australia, Kenya and South Africa, saying successful digital migration efforts globally now combine terrestrial, satellite and internet-based platforms to achieve broader coverage and efficiency.