Digital Switch Over: Project must offer rich Nigerian content – Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed has stated that the Ministerial Task Force on the Digital Switch Over (DSO) must look to include improved Nigerian content in the new Digital Switchover for Nigerian television viewers, saying the success of the project depends on the content it offers.

The Minister disclosed this in a statement released on Tuesday evening by the Ministry of Information after the inaugural meeting of the Task Force in Abuja on Tuesday.

“Let me say, straight away, that the success of this project is hinged on content. If the content is right, the 24 million TV households in the country will embrace it. If the content is wrong, they will not.

”Even the purchase of the Set Top Boxes (STBs) by Nigerians will depend on the richness of the content offered. Before now, we either gave out the boxes free or at subsidized rates.

But now that the project is being commercially-driven, the sale of STBs will depend on the content,” Mohammed said.

The Minister added that rich content in sports, entertainment, children’s programmes as well as local and international news were necessary to attract subscribers, with the added advantage of non-payment for subscription.

‘‘We can work with the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) to have all their weekly matches shown live. I have no doubt that they will be willing to work with us in this regard,’‘ he added.

In case you missed it: Nairametrics reported last week that the Federal Government launched a 14-member Ministerial Task Force on the Digital Switch Over (DSO) rollout across the country.