The Federal Government will gift Nigerians over 100 free TV channels via FreeTV from May 15, offering news, sports, education, entertainment, and children’s programming in Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Tiv, Ijaw, Edo, Fulfulde, Ibibio, Efik, and Nupe—all in HD without encryption or set-top boxes.
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Director-General Charles Ebuebu described the hybrid satellite-internet platform, powered by NigComSat-1R, as a full rebuild for true free-to-air access on DVB-T2/S2 TVs, plus a mobile app for phones and tablets.
Broadcasters qualify by committing channels, delivering 60 per cent local content, and promoting FreeTV until January 2029, after which tiered rates apply.
NBC partnered with Bulgarian firm GARB for 94 per cent-accurate audience measurement using return-path data, app analytics, panels, and AI.
Six regional hubs in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano, and Benin will produce content, creating 500 to 1,000 jobs per zone within two years.
Ebuebu stressed the strategy: build viewers first, monetise later.
