Low key, this one.

A high-level source at the National Broadcasting Commission just confirmed to The Media Blog (TMB) that the federal government has quietly stared approving licenses for direct-to-home TV, in preparation for the digital switch-over.

The digital switch-over, in essence, moves Nigerians away from an analogue reception system which much of the developed world has gone away from (we will be doing a post soon that explains exactly what the digital switch over means for your TV, and for content producers).

The authorities gave some licenses last year and then stopped, because there was no point. No frequencies remained and so most of those who had licenses could do nothing with them until 2017, but there no formal ceasure. Just, no one was getting approvals.

Now, though, the process has begun again: Lagos-only licenses, according to the source, going for N100m, progressively up to N500m for national licenses.

The information minister, Lai Mohammed has promised that Abuja’s switch over will happen before the end of 2016. And we are reliably informed that the rest of the country will join the switch by the end of 2017. Finally.

Isime Esene