By Cross Udo, Abuja
The Federal Government yesterday said that the establishment and launch of a new satellite pay television outfit is in line with Nigerians’ desire to “reap from the bountiful harvest awaiting investors in the Nigerian economy.”
Speaking at the official launch of an indigenous Nigerian satellite television, Silver Lake Television (SLTV), in Abuja, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Senator George Akume said the new satellite pay television would serve as a veritable alternative that would respond to Nigerians’ yearnings by giving them value for their money.
While commending the management of Metrodigital Limited (owners of the firm) for what he said was their patriotic step in setting up the satellite television, he said the firm recognises the fact that the Federal Government has demonstrated an unwavering commitment through robust policies and legal frameworks to promote free competitive and responsible broadcasting service in Nigeria.
He said, “It is becoming clear that we are on the right path to our collective recovery and prosperity. This is our country, the only one we can truly call our own, and we must fix it ourselves.
“In recent times, Nigerians have been yearning for alternatives to Satellite Pay TV that can serve as an alternative to the existing ones. SLTV has responded very loudly and clearly, and from the information made available, they are willing to give their fellow compatriots real value for their money in terms of service quality and affordability.
“It is gladdening that Metrodigital recognises that the Federal Government has demonstrated an unwavering commitment through robust policies and legal frameworks to promote free, competitive, and responsible broadcasting services in Nigeria, devoid of any form of monopoly and unfair market practices in the broadcast industry. This is in line with the determination of the administration of President Bola Tinubu to turn the Nigerian economy around.
“Since his ascendancy as the President of Africa’s most populous nation, the President has made enormous policy changes in his quest for economic recovery. One of the results is the reason we are gathered here today.
“Nigeria is an opportunity that is impossible to replicate or find elsewhere in any part of the world. The federal government wishes to assure the management of SLTV of her full backing as they continue to do legitimate business in Nigeria’s broadcast industry.”
In his remark, the Managing Director of Metrodigital Limited, Dr Ifeanyi Nwafor, lamented that the growth of pay TV in Nigeria had been hampered by policies and legal frameworks that encouraged monopoly.
He said his firm was encouraged to invest because the government had started to take positive steps to address the issue.
“Unlike other places, the pay-TV industry in Nigeria has not experienced robust and accelerated growth since its inception. This is due to the policies and legal frameworks that shape the practice and attitude of the industry participants.
“This allowed the dominant players to introduce monopolistic practices that, over the years, prevented innovation and growth and led to poor quality service delivery.
“It is gratifying that in the last few years, the Federal Government of Nigeria took the bull by the horns and addressed some of these underlying problems,” Okafor stated.
Speaking to reporters at the ceremony, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Charles Ebuebu, disclosed that the commission would consider the call by Nigerian pay satellite television subscribers to introduce pay-per-view options.
However, he said that he would re-negotiate the contracts already entered into by the content providers.
“If it’s applicable, it will be considered. The issue is that sometimes those discussions also need to start from when the content is acquired because the traditional method of acquisition of content is that you license per month or annually, based on a 30-day window.
“So, if you’re going to have to do a pay-per-view, you must go back and negotiate it. We do acknowledge that in some instances, in other jurisdictions, some of those models come under different names that are really applicable, so we’re also looking into it as a regulator,” he said.
Ebuebu assured that the commission would look into the issue of content overpricing and affirmed that the general economic situation in the country affects all sectors of the economy.
The NBC DG/CEO explained, “There are two sides to that coin. The first part is that with the current economic situation of the country, inflation, and all of that, it’s not just broadcasting that is affected; all businesses are affected, so when you have prices being reviewed upwards, it’s not located only within the broadcast sector.
“However, we do acknowledge the fact that in some cases there has been exploitation in certain areas, and as the NBC, we’re looking at it like I said, we’re reviewing our policies and regulations so as to create a viable competitive ecosystem in broadcasting where the consumers will be the ones who’ll have to choose and therefore, market forces determined prices, and it’s not exploitative.”
