Nigeria to separate broadcast from transmission
May 28, 2014
By Chris Forrester
Nigeria is splitting the roles of its public broadcasting system. The Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) will be divided into two separate parts, with the transmission arm ending up in a public-private partnership and quite separate from the broadcasting arm. The transmission business will have the task of fast-tracking the country’s shift to digital transmission.
The DG of NTA, Emeka Mba, said the process of establishing the transmission company is already underway and should be in place by the end of June.
However, he cautioned against expecting too much from the new business, saying “the heavens will not fall if Nigeria fails to make the June 2015 deadline (for switching off analogue TV).”
Local reports say there are nine companies which have pre-qualified to run the business.