2015 digitalisation deadline: How prepared is Nigerian broadcast industry?

One of the highlights last year in the broadcast sub-sector of the Nigerian media was the Federal Government’s decision to alter the June 2012 deadline for the nation’s broadcast industry to migrate from analogue to digital, to a new date of January 1, 2015. The decision, according to Labaran Maku, minister of information, was informed by the need to ensure a seamless transition to digital broadcasting.

The minister had disclosed that the White Paper on the Report of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Broadcast Digitalisation had been approved, while expressing the Federal Government’s firm commitment towards the new date.

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) had set June 17, 2015, for the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting on the belief that, when implemented, the decision would go a long way in enhancing the broadcast industry in terms of quality of audio and visual aspects of broadcasting.

Other benefits of the digitalisation exercise to Nigerians, according to stakeholders, include value-laden digital technology, which would enable consumers, especially those in the rural communities, explore the opportunities of quality signals and choice channels numbering up to 100 on their TV sets.

Not a few therefore see the shift in date as a welcome development, since they believe it would afford operators and consumers the time to exploit these immense benefits, while also providing operators the opportunity to prepare themselves for the challenges the transition might throw up.

Interestingly, in spite of these inherent benefits and the seeming relief the shift seems to offer operators, misgivings are expressed about the ability of operators to meet the new deadline. The scepticism is hinged on the fact that there seems to be nothing much on ground to suggest that the industry is bracing up for digital broadcasting in the next few months.

Digitalisation and the pay-TV market

While the race to meet the deadline has been flagged off, stakeholders believe that the level of awareness concerning the date is still low.

For instance, Celestine Umeibe, manager, public relations, Continental Broadcasting Service Ltd, argued that “though the deadline seems to have triggered activities in the nation’s broadcasting industry, however, only a negligible few are actually aware of the migration deadline or the processes in place to ensure that they are not being cut-off from television viewing.”

Though everybody seems to be working towards the date, but how sure are they at making the deadline?’ he had asked rhetorically, during a chat with Brands and Marketing. According to him, nothing much is being done in the area of creating awareness about the date, while urging the Federal Government, the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission and other relevant regulatory agencies to take up the task of sensitising the people on the date.

However, it is interesting that a few players in the industry have continued to raise the level of awareness on the very important issue. “Honestly, StartTimes seems to be doing something very tangible in this regard. Right from the date the pay-TV brand opened its doors for business in Nigeria, it has been unwavering in its commitment towards raising the level of awareness as far as digitalisation is concerned,” said a film producer, who prefers anonymity.

To him, it is the first pay-TV brand in Nigeria to introduce the DTT system, which now has been upgraded to the latest technology, the DVB-T2, across the whole country. The technology, which allows subscribers more channels options, up to 70+ channels, is actually designed to prepare subscribers and Nigerians generally for the digitalisation era.

Besides providing subscribers more channel options through this latest technology, the brand has also thrown its doors open to local TV stations, to join in the digitalisation process on its platform. For instance, some of the local stations already on the channel include Galaxy TV, Silverbird, NTA, Channels, LTV, Kwara TV, and EWTN, to mention a few.

Perhaps, its pay-off line of ‘Enjoy Digital Life’ can also be used to gauge its brand essence. Since opening its doors for business few years ago, the brand has not minced words on its determination to give Nigerians, especially those at the lower rungs of the socio-economic ladder, that much-needed ‘digital life.’

A pay-TV subscriber, Biodun Roberts, believes going digital is the best thing to happen in broadcast market, since the Nigerian consumer has been taken for a ride for too long.

“We had been subjected to poor quality services by operators. But this development would enable us move ahead at a speed the world is moving in broadcasting. And I believe the body language of some pay-TV brands in that industry, such as StarTimes, gives one hope that the January 1, 2015, deadline may be achievable after all,” he said.

As the nation counts down to the January 1, 2015, deadline, there is still a lot to do before the date. For instance, as of today, the controversies surrounding whether some of these pay-TV operators are licensed to offer digital terrestrial TV (DTT) services still rage.

This was further fuelled recently by Emeka Mba, director-general, NBC, who stated that the NTA-StarTimes TV partnership was fully licensed to operate DTT.

NBC and other relevant regulatory bodies in the industry would have to clear the stable and create the enabling environment for existing and prospective investors in the market segment. The 2015 deadline is around the corners, and unfortunately, happenings in that segment have not portrayed the nation as getting ready to imbibe the digital culture.