On Friday 23 February 2018, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture in Nigeria, revealed that the Digital Switch Over (DSO) taking place in Nigeria is the first step of the nation’s goal of building Africa’s biggest and most lucrative free-to-air television platform.
The revelation was made by the minister in Osogbo, at the launch of DSO for Osun State. adding that with over 24 million TV households and being the capital of African creativity in music and film, Nigeria would become the capital of television in Africa within the next few years.
Mohammed congratulated the stakeholders on the successful transition from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting and invited all the players to join the unstoppable train.
“The DSO train, which took off in Jos, Plateau State in April 2016, has now arrived in Osun State. From Plateau, the train has traversed the Federal Capital Territory, Kwara, Kaduna and Enugu states. The State of Osun, therefore, becomes the sixth and the latest state in which we have launched the DSO. I congratulate the people of this state, who will now have access to more than 30 digital channels, with crystal clear pictures and Hi Fidelity audio, once they procure our most affordable Set Top Box,” he said.
The minister noted that with DSO, stakeholders, including mobile phone companies, advertisers, content producers and electronics manufacturers will benefit from the switch.
Mohammed concluded by stating that the move to DSO will see Nollywood movies be sold directly to homes without the need of a VCD, DVD or even the internet, while the government could use the platform to engage and inform their people.
