Director General, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mr. Emeka Mba, has said the Federal Government would spend over N60 billion transitting from analog broadcast stations to digital stations.

Mba who spoke over the weekend in Abuja at an event to mark 22nd anniversary of NBC, explained that the amount included what government and broadcast stations would spend going digital, emphasizing that NBC would only coordinate and would not have the funds with it. He revealed that the commission has issued 334 licenses to TV and Radio Stations, including 109 TV stations 167 Radio station while MDS had 36 with campus radio station numbering 22.

The NBC boss who said the organization was using Jos in Plateau State as a pilot scheme stated that it has achieved 92 per cent coverage of the state and would reach 100 per cent level within the next 30 days. "We have switched off all analog stations in Plateau State and have commenced digital with TV stations like NTA, AIT and others whom NBC had given digital services so as to produce digital programmes" he said.

Mba described the Nigerian media as the most vibrant in Africa pointing out that the International Telecommunications Union ITU had set January 2015 deadline for the conversion from analog to digital broadcast, assuring that Nigeria would be digitally covered by June, 2015.

"Our checks indicate that the United States spent more the $1.6 billion to convert from analog to digital, Britain £1 billion pounds while France expended ‚¬2 billion Euro, but we would apply three different options based on the data from the Bureau of Statistics. We also would need about 40 million set of boxes which of course would be assembled here in Nigeria," he said.

The DG informed that in doing this those who live in rural areas, which is about 33 per cent and under poverty live should be considered as they also have great need to have access to televisions and radio.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201408260817.html

Patiently wait..,
*modified*

^^
I've edited the amount to N60bn. The original article gave the wrong currency.

SEE AS THEM THE SPEND OUR OYEEL MONEY.........
GEJ DIARIS GOD OOO.......

RichDad1: $60 billion? Are they going to start showing live European matches?? Otherwise this is just a show of wastefulness.

It's all about transiting to a solely digital platform. TV stations are free to broadcast European football matches, provided they have the broadcast rights.

CFCfan: ^^
I've edited the amount to N60bn. The original article gave the wrong currency.

OK I WAS WANDERING WETHER THE WAN HOST OLYMPICS AND WORLD CUP WITH $60B. THATS SOME COUNTIES GDP

Either way, i can't wait to see the intro of Digital Tv to naija, may be by then we can start making&watching our own tv series.. It will really help the entertainment industry.

Wasteful spending

CFCfan:
It's all about transiting to a solely digital platform. TV stations are free to broadcast European football matches, provided they have the broadcast rights.

and i hope our nta sport commentators upgrade as well: all these - ' and there goes jersey no 9' or a defender runs and cuts him down' or ' and a chance(pauses, lowers intonation) but it goes over the bar for a goalkick.




Honestly nta want to keep some relics etc. But they supposed to live up to billing. All that locality shud be packed aside for heaven's sake. The color( bad marketing) the logo color( old school, it call be changed and better) haba. Weve gat talkatives on streets that knows 90percent of footballers names. Not old papa's that are lost in an ongoing ma( some are jst mute-matches,imagine)



whatever upgrade, it must show to personnel and color as well. Color is marketing.

People underestimate the level of corruption of our leaders. That money quoted will be shared within a few weeks. Digitalisation is a pipedream in such a corruption ridden land.

whatlyf: Wasteful spending

NBC is like a financial black hole!! A lot has been sunk in there without the "littlest" of improvement to show for the expenditure!!

Since I was born to this day, Radio Nigeria broadcasts the 7.00am news with that sound of "static" at the background so bad that one could barely hear the voice of the newscaster!!!

NTA's is even worse!!! They've been on about digital broadcasting since the days of Patrick Ityoher, to the days of COJA, to Ben Bruce, to Usman Magawata. The only thing I see is a deteriorating quality of broadcast and programmes.
They have 60bill to splash on digital equipment but didn't have the money for doctors!!

Once it is meant for contracts, monies just surface from nowhere since there is room for brazen embezzlement, but if it is meant for payment of entitlements owed civil servants, the money is HARDLY AVAILABLE!! That is governance Nigerian style!!!

Tufia!!

How much are they going to make from this investment?
what are the gains?
Is the picture or sound from analogue systems no longer good?
Dont they have better things to do with 60 billion naira?
How many Apaches can the army buy with that sum of money?
How many more tons of rice can the gallant minister of agriculture produce with this amount?

what is digital tv?
so we shall be watching digital tv and eating cassava bread?