Nigeria's New Free TV Platform Launches May 15, With Over 100 Free Channels
- Nigeria is set to welcome another TV platform that will provide over 100 free-to-air channels nationwide
- The TV is backed by NBC and part of an initiative to revive the stalled Digital Switch Over
- NBC admits over N60 billion was spent on the failed DSO, citing a lack of audience data
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Nigeria is set to witness the launch of a new television platform on May 15, 2026, as the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) moves to revive the country’s long-delayed Digital Switch Over (DSO) programme.
The TV platform will be called FreeTV and is expected to launch with over 100 channels for news, sports, education, entertainment and children’s programming in multiple Nigerian languages.
Source: Getty Images
Charles Ebuebu, the Director-General of the NBC, who disclosed this, said the new platform will offer free-to-air access with no carriage fees, leveraging hybrid satellite and internet delivery via NigComSat-1R.
Guardian reports that the FreeTV platform will launch nationally and will be true free-to-air – no encryption, no set-top box barrier.
Any DVB-T2/S2 television will work, and also there will be a mobile app to extend reach to phones and tablets.
The platform will include channels for cultural content in Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Tiv, Ijaw, Edo, Fulfulde, Ibibio, Efik and Nupe – all in HD.
FreeTV before revenue
The NBC plans to collaborate with Bulgarian firm GARB to deploy an audience measurement system with about 94% accuracy, powered by return-path data, app analytics, demographic panels and artificial intelligence.
It added that broadcasters who sign on, meet a minimum 60% local content requirement, and actively support the FreeTV platform will not pay carriage fees until January 2029, after which a regulated pricing structure will apply.
The commission said the approach is designed to prioritise audience growth before revenue generation.
Source: Getty Images
Content creation
The NBC document also outlined plans to establish six regional production hubs in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano and Benin to drive local content creation, with each zone projected to create between 500 and 1,000 jobs within two years.
It added that analogue broadcasting will officially end by December 31, 2028, signalling a firm commitment to meeting deadlines after years of delays.
The commission said its new strategy draws lessons from global examples, including the UK’s Freeview model, South Africa’s post-DSO growth in local content, Kenya’s spectrum-funded rollout, and Bulgaria’s audience measurement system, while noting Ghana’s experience as a warning on poor coordination.
DStv slashes prices
Earlier reports indicated that MultiChoice is placing greater emphasis on keeping its services affordable as competition from streaming platforms intensifies.
The pay TV operator announced fresh price cuts on DStv decoders, added more channels to its entry-level package, and introduced a shared payment option aimed at keeping cost-conscious households subscribed in South Africa.
The moves come as DStv grapples with sustained subscriber losses following the 2025 takeover of MultiChoice by France’s Canal+.
Source: Legit.ng
