Nigeria launches FreeTV, bringing free digital television to households nationwide
Nigeria officially launched FreeTV on Wednesday, a national digital television platform that gives households across the country access to free digital broadcasting without monthly subscription fees, the Presidency announced.
The platform forms the centerpiece of Nigeria’s long-delayed Digital Switch-Over (DSO) programme, which is shifting the country’s broadcasting infrastructure from analogue to digital. FreeTV carries more than 100 national, regional and state channels, spanning news, sports, movies, music, children’s programming and educational content, along with dedicated Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo language channels.
Distribution will run through satellite and terrestrial transmission as well as a mobile app, a combination officials say is intended to reach rural and previously uncovered areas, not just major cities. NBC Director-General Charles Ebuebu said the platform is meant to ensure access to digital television “regardless of location or income,” tying the rollout to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. Officials say the initiative will also extend into Nigeria’s creative and broadcast economy through new regional production studios planned for Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano and Benin, intended to create work for producers, technicians, editors, camera operators and sound engineers.
The DSO programme dates back roughly two decades of consultations, pilot phases and policy reviews, according to the NBC, which says Nigeria is now moving into full implementation. The final nationwide analogue switch-off remains scheduled for December 31, 2028, after which analogue signals will cease entirely.
The Commission is encouraging citizens to check their decoder compatibility and download the FreeTV app ahead of further rollout. Additional information is available at www.freetv.ng, by emailing dso@nbc.gov.ng, by calling 07003887277, or through NBC zonal and state offices.
