The federal government has introduced a new satellite pay television that will provide an alternative to current options and meet the needs of Nigerians by offering good value for their money.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume, announced this during the official launch of a Nigerian satellite television called Silver Lake Television (SLTV) in Abuja.
He mentioned that the creation of this television station aligns with the Nigerian people’s desire to benefit from the opportunities available in the Nigerian economy.
He praised the management of Metrodigital Limited, the owners of the firm, for their patriotic decision to establish the satellite television service.
He stated: “It is becoming very 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 by ourselves.”
The SGF added: “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 loud and clear and from the information made available to me, 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 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, devoid of any form of monopoly and unfair market practices in the broadcast industry in line with the determination of the administration of President Bola Ahmed 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 being the reason that we have 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 the broadcast industry of Nigeria.”
Dr. Ifeanyi Okafor, the managing director of Metrodigital Limited, expressed his concern about the slow growth of pay TV in Nigeria due to policies and legal frameworks that support monopoly.
He mentioned that his company is optimistic about investing in the industry because the government is beginning to take action to resolve the problem.
“The pay TV industry in Nigeria has not actually witnessed a robust and accelerated growth since inception as witnessed in other places. The reason is as a result of 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, growth and led to poor quality of service delivery.
“It is however gratifying that in the last few years, the federal government of Nigeria took the bull by the horn and addressed some of these underlying problems,” Okafor stated.
During the ceremony, the director general and chief executive officer of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Charles Ebuebu, mentioned that the commission is open to the idea of introducing pay-per-view options for Nigerian pay satellite television subscribers.
He also stated that there will be a renegotiation of the contracts with content providers.
