Broadcasting
Minister Tasks New NTA Board On Professionalism, National Integration
Alhaji Lai Mohammed, minister of Information and Culture, has challenged the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) to leverage on its rich experience and the unique power of technology to enhance its professionalism, while also serving as an effective tool of national integration.
The Minister issued the challenge on Tuesday while inaugurating the new Management Board of the NTA, chaired by Chief Duro Onabule.
”The NTA’s key function is to provide independent and impartial television broadcasting for general reception as a public service in the interest of Nigeria. No other television station in Nigeria is charged with the same social responsibility of public interest broadcasting. Accordingly, the NTA must continue to serve as a tool for National Integration,” he said.
Alhaji Mohammed said the NTA must borrow a leaf from its golden era of the 1980s-1990s, when it churned out relevant, impactful and desirable programmes such as Village Headmaster, Sa Manja, Masquerade, Cock Crow at Dawn, Behind the Clouds, Mirror in the Sun, Bala Miller Show and Giant in the Sun, in its efforts to reposition itself for a more stellar future.
He said while the NTA cannot afford to indulge in the ”political arguments” over how it lost its shine, ”there is a clear challenge in front of us, to take the NTA to new heights, to re-establish our social contract with our viewers and audiences, to lead the way in keeping the nation informed and educated, and all this while stepping boldly into the new future of digital broadcasting that is already threatening to leave us behind. We must take on these objectives without fear, favour or distraction.”
The Minister urged the new management board to ensure that the new content development strategy for the NTA promotes government initiatives and programmes in a more professional manner; and that the television station must explore strategic partnerships with key government MDAs as well as strategic partnerships with key foreign partners and investors in media and broadcasting.
He described the ongoing transition from Analogue to Digital broadcasting, known as Digital Switch Over (DSO), as a new dawn for programming in Nigeria and Africa.
”It comes pregnant with opportunities to do things in a better way. The availability of more television channels and the changes in the structure of signal delivery opens up new possibilities in both public and private broadcasting. Besides Dramas and Soaps, the NTA also needs to invest urgently in a wide variety of programming types to give more depth and breadth to its broadcast.
”In the seemingly ‘traditional’ areas like news gathering and presentation, the NTA must strive to regain top spot. We must exert our creativity, independence and resources to gain traction over rival outlets. We must become reputed as a neutral, truthful and professional media outlet at the fore of the quest to bring integrity into today’s world of ‘alternative facts’ and ‘fake news’.”
Responding on behalf of the board, the Chairman, Chief Onabule, thanked President Buhari for finding them worthy of the appointment and pledged to partner with the Minister to reposition NTA for effective service delivery,
Other members of the board are: Dr. Steve Egbo, Abdul Hamid Salisu Dembos, Mohammed Labo, Fatima Bada, Stephen Okpanachi and Wole Coker.
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has said that Nigerians will no longer pay annual Digital Access Fees under the renewed Digital Switch Over (DSO) project.
Charles Ebuebu, director-general, NBC, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja,
Ebuebu said viewers only need to purchase an approved decoder and satellite dish which cost below N20,000 to enjoy free television permanently.
“Previously, users paid an annual digital access fee of about N1,500, described as an administrative charge.
“The new system removes that annual fee. It provides free access to free-to-air television channels without any payment.
“Premium channels will be introduced later. Viewers who want those additional channels will be able to access them through paid services.
“Nigerian content on free-to-air channels remains free to watch. Unlike Pay TV, this platform does not require monthly subscriptions for its basic service,” he said
Ebuebu said approved decoders for the FreeTV will cost less than N20,000 and authorised sales outlets will soon be announced.
He urged Nigerians to wait for official information on approved dealers for the DSO decoders, warning that unauthorised sellers are exploiting growing public demand.
He reiterated that people only need a free-to-air decoder, along with a satellite dish instead of the old antenna system to receive the DSO signal.
“Once the equipment is installed, viewers can access all available channels across the country without paying any subscription fees,” he stressed
The DG dismissed claims by some retailers that there are different categories of decoders sold at varying prices, stressing that such sellers are not authorised by the commission.
According to him, the NBC will soon publish the list of approved dealers, official prices, and locations where genuine decoder boxes and accessories can be purchased.
The NBC boss said the DSO project is designed not only to improve television broadcasting but also to stimulate economic growth by creating jobs, attracting investment, and opening up opportunities for businesses that support the broadcasting industry.
Ebuebu noted that content producers and broadcasters stand to benefit significantly from the nationwide reach of the DSO platform.
Unlike the previous system, where many stations had limited regional audiences, he said the new platform will make their channels available to viewers across Nigeria.
He added that the introduction of audience measurement technology will provide scientific and reliable data on television viewership.
Ebuebu added that audience measurement technology will give advertisers greater confidence in placing adverts and enable broadcasters to demonstrate the true size and reach of their audiences nationwide.
Uchenna Mbunabo, Nigerian filmmaker, has raised concerns over the alleged unauthorised broadcast of Nollywood films by some Ghanaian television stations, calling on Ghana’s National Film Authority (NFA) to strengthen the enforcement of copyright laws.
Uchenna Mbunabo, Nigerian filmmaker
Mbunabo made the remarks during a conversation with James Gardiner, deputy CEO of the National Film Authority (NFA) of Ghana.
He questioned whether it was permissible for television stations in Ghana to download Nigerian movies from YouTube and air them without obtaining permission from the producers.
“I noticed that Ghanaian TV stations, the way they are stealing our films and showing them for free with impunity. Is it legalised in your country for TV stations to go on YouTube, download people’s sweat and show it for free?”
According to Mbunabo, some Ghanaian television stations have been downloading newly released Nollywood films from YouTube and broadcasting them without authorisation, depriving producers of revenue generated through the platform.
He also stated that he had not witnessed Nigerian television stations engaging in similar practices and questioned what measures Ghana was taking to protect filmmakers’ intellectual property.
Responding to the concerns, Gardiner acknowledged that the issue exists and said the National Film Authority had begun engaging relevant stakeholders to address it.
He disclosed that the NFA has held discussions with the Ministry of Communications, the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the National Media Commission (NMC) on improving copyright enforcement.
Gardiner explained that while Ghana has copyright laws, enforcement remains challenging because many television stations now operate digitally and may not have physical offices within the country.
“There are copyright laws, but they are not effective because a lot of the TV stations don’t have offices. Most of them are now digital, so they operate from anywhere. They can even have a Ghanaian TV station but be operating from Austria simply because it is digital.”
He added that authorities are considering a new licensing framework that would require broadcasters to undergo a fresh licensing process to improve monitoring and enforcement.
According to Gardiner, television stations found guilty of illegally broadcasting copyrighted content would be required to compensate affected producers through fines.
He added that repeat offenders could face suspension of their broadcasting licences, while a third violation could result in the revocation of their licences.
Although he did not provide a specific timeline, Gardiner said the reforms were already underway and expressed hope that significant progress would be seen next year.
Mbunabo welcomed the proposed measures but urged the National Film Authority to expedite the process, stating that unauthorised broadcasts continue to affect filmmakers’ ability to recover production costs through legitimate distribution channels such as YouTube.
He also stressed that his comments were not directed at Ghana’s film industry, noting that he has worked with several Ghanaian actors over the years and supports collaborations between Nollywood and Ghallywood.
NBC Scraps Annual Digital Access Fee on DSO
Surge in Fibre Cuts Hobbles Service Provisioning
Why Bandits, Kidnappers are Hard to Trace despite NIN-SIM Linkage – FG
First Securities Brokers Empowers Nigerians to Trade in the Stock Market with the Launch of FirstInvest App
Quest Merchant Bank Hosts Great Place to Work® Nigeria Study Mission
NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira
Nigeria Launches FreeTV Nationwide
NASENI Moves to Digitize CCB’s 5m Assets Declaration and Operations
Lebara Nigeria Launches Lebara Play, Africa’s First Telecom-Owned Micro-Drama Platform
CANAL+ Partners Samsung to Pre-Load DStv Stream on New Samsung TVs In Nigeria, Other African Countries
Telecom2 days agoMTN Nigeria Slashes Cost of Broadband Internet Router, Unwraps New Data Bundles for Low-Budget Users
E-Financial2 days agoNigerians Accumulate $59Bn in Cryptocurrency Assets —FDC
E-Financial2 days agoFlutterwave Partners Xoom on Transfers into Nigeria
General News2 days agoNearpays, Nigerian Fintech Becomes First African Startup to Win UN’s AI for Good Innovation Factory
News2 days agoDataPro Upgrades Dangote Cement’s Credit Rating to AA+
Telecom2 days agoNokia’s 14 Years of Mobile-Phone Supremacy Ended in an Afternoon
E-Business2 days agoTinubu Orders NIMC to Enrol Every Nigerian by End of this Year – DG
General News2 days agoFintech Brands Should Communicate Right in a VUCA Economy