Nigeria has officially launched FreeTV, a national free-to-air digital television platform designed to provide households across the country with access to quality digital television services without monthly subscription fees.
Announced by the State House, the initiative marks a major milestone in Nigeria’s Digital Switch-Over (DSO) programme and the country’s transition from analogue to digital broadcasting. The platform aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to expand access to opportunities, promote inclusion, create jobs, and leverage technology to improve the lives of Nigerians.
FreeTV offers viewers access to more than 100 national, regional, and state television channels featuring news, sports, movies, music, educational programmes, children’s content, and dedicated indigenous language channels in Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo.
The service is available through satellite transmission, terrestrial networks, and a dedicated mobile application, ensuring wider coverage across urban centres, towns, and rural communities, including areas previously underserved during earlier phases of the DSO rollout.
According to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), existing television sets can access the service using compatible DVB-T2 or DVB-S2 decoders, while households already equipped with free-to-air compatible decoders will not require additional equipment.
Director-General of the NBC, Charles Ebuebu, described the initiative as a significant step towards expanding digital inclusion and supporting Nigeria’s growing creative economy. He noted that the platform will not only improve access to information and entertainment but also create employment opportunities for content creators, producers, technicians, editors, sound engineers, and other professionals within the broadcasting value chain.
Regional production hubs in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano, and Benin are expected to drive local content development and stimulate economic activity across the creative sector.
The Federal Government has maintained December 31, 2028, as the deadline for the final nationwide analogue switch-off and is encouraging Nigerians to verify their decoder compatibility and embrace the new digital broadcasting platform.
