Lai Mohammed: Nollywood To Make N100bn Annually From Digital Switchover

Information Minister, Alh. Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday, said at the launch of Digital Switch Over (DSO) at Ilorin’s Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) that Nollywood can generate N100 billion via the FreeTV distribution network.

Mohammed said the country was long overdue for the switch from VCD and DVD to digital.

The minister said the switch to digital distribution would allow Nollywood and the entire entertainment industry benefit from digital consumption of content.

“With the middleware in our `Set Top Boxes’; homes will be able to buy and watch the latest Nollywood movies without the need for internet.

“Imagine a film released on Monday morning being immediately available to all the households in Kwara at the touch of a button. That is the kind of experience we are talking about,” the minister said.

Speaking further, Mohammed said with the FreeTV, the country’s TV advertising can grow by $400 million dollars.

“In this regard, permit me to use this opportunity to throw the weight of the government behind the NBC in its efforts to create a viable currency by which producers of content and channels can be renumerated,” he said.

“`Set Top Box’ assembling and ultimately manufacturing is an irreversible mandate by the government to the industry.

“We expect this to extend very quickly to local Smart TV and Tablet manufacturing.

“With our strong consumer base, we can quickly become the supplier of these equipments to the whole of West Africa.

“For the people of Kwara, we welcome the publishers of Apps to start looking for how to make living easier and commerce easier, using the technology that sits on these boxes,” he added.