Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed has revealed that only one of 30 licensed Nigerian pay television companies by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is working and the one is currently struggling to break through.
He made this known on Monday at the ministerial taskforce briefing on digital switch
Over (DSO) in Lagos.
The Minister stated that the ongoing reform in the industry through the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) will break the monopoly established by foreign pay TV platforms.
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Lai said despite the controversies trailing the reforms in the broadcast industry, the government remains undaunted in implementing the DSO project which is capable of generating one million jobs in three years.
He added that he has ordered GoTV and StarTimes — both pay-TV platforms — to stop self-carriage by June.
“It will interest you to know that to date, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has licensed over 30 Nigerian pay tv companies, but only one is currently struggling to breakthrough.
“We have amended the code to curb monopoly and exclusivity of programme content in order to create room for the local industry to grow. Also, as part of efforts to make the DSO proposition viable, I have directed GoTV and StarTimes to stop self-carriage by the end of June 2021.”
