The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on Wednesday issued an operating licence to a new operator, Chapters Digital Nigeria Limited, in a bid to offer options to consumers of satellite broadcast services in the country.
At a ceremony where the licence was presented, the Director-General, NBC, Mr. Emeka Mba, said the licence was being issued at a critical time when Nigeria was in transition from analogue to digital broadcasting in accordance with the directive of the International Telecommunications Union.
Mba lauded the company, which has been operating in Britain for the past two decades, for its confidence in the Nigerian economy and urged the management to pay attention to content, which he described as the critical success factor for any broadcast organisation anywhere in the world.
The NBC boss said, “It is an exciting time for television broadcasting in Nigeria. We are happy for the faith you have expressed in the Nigerian broadcast industry, especially at a time when we are going through a transition.
“Sometimes, some people get into this business without knowing the importance of content. For us, content is key. We will work with you to ensure that the right things are done. Our board is working to put together a competition regulation.”
Chapterdtv is the Direct-To-Home subsidiary of Chapters Nigeria Limited. The company has been operating in the broadband segment of the British economy. In Nigeria, the company has operated as a content aggregator.
In an interview with our correspondent, Chairman, Chapters Nigeria, Dr. Godwin Bire-Akpobire, said the company would invest $100m in the next five years in technology and development of local content.
