Armstrong Idachaba, the
director-general of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), says the
commission is not backing down on the controversial amendment to the country’s
broadcasting code.
Idachaba said the new
broadcasting code is to break the monopoly of “greedy capitalists” who “call themselves
dominant players” and allow local payTV platforms to thrive.
In March 2020, the NBC released
the 6th edition of its broadcasting code, which mandates sub-licensing of
premium content and kills the idea of exclusivity.
Broadcasters, columnists, and
Multichoice, one of the dominant players in the Nigerian payTV industry, have
spoken against the code, which they say further stifles the growth of the
industry.
But Idachaba disagrees; according
to him, “the amendments have been made, no going back because we believe it is
good for our country, they are already operational”.
Speaking with Osasu Igbinedion on
The Osasu Show, Idachaba said the NBC has licenced several local payTV
platforms, but they do not survive due to the presence of the likes of DStv.
When asked about the negative
effect the lack of exclusivity clause may have on DStv, Idachaba said: “Let me
give you a poser as background: Why is it, have you ever thought, that our
local tv, cable, paid services are nonexistent? There is no Nigerian that is
active on the payTV platform, no Nigerian company.
“NBC licenced several, up to 30
Nigerian firms to offer paid television services in Nigeria and none of them
succeeded. Why, because they cannot compete in the international content
market.
“And what happens to the
international content market, the people with the big purse, the global
capitalist, those that call themselves dominant players, they go to acquire
those rights and keep it to themselves in the guise of exclusivity and deny all
other operators an opportunity for sublicensing.
“What does that do? What it does
is to create a monopolistic economy for whoever is the buyer of that content
and the person is able to maximize profit unhindered. That is why you find internet
penetration in Nigeria is increasing by the day. That is why you find that all
those big monopolies break even and make tonnes of money.
“What we are saying is that when
you go to acquire these rights, because you are acquiring them for the Nigerian
market, because your intent is to exploit the Nigerian audiences and viewers,
we want you also to give back by sublicensing to local Nigerian players that
may be interested.”
‘WHOEVER IS GIVING DSTV EPL RIGHTS HAS TO UNDERSTAND’
Idachaba said DStv must now
sub-licence the English Premier League to other players in the industry, who
may be interested.
“If you bring EPL for instance
and say I am the owner of EPL, only me can show EPL and on my platform alone,
so whoever wants to watch premier league would have to buy DStv, even if you
have Startimes, you cannot watch,” he added.
“If you are on open television,
the open terrestrial, where low-income earner, those on the lower social
ladder, where they thrive, then they are denied which is class stratification
in itself on account of content acquisition.
“We are saying create these
windows. If you get the rights, fine, we welcome you, invest in Nigeria, but
create channels for sublicensing”
Confronted with the fact that
Multichoice, the owners of DStv, don not
have the rights to sub-licence the English Premier League (EPL) Idachaba said
“whoever is giving them the rights has to understand” that there is a new NBC
code.
“If you are going to acquire your
rights, you know that in the Nigerian Broadcasting Code, we have plainly said
you can’t have exclusive right. So whoever, if giving you that right has to
understand that he cannot give it to only you in Nigeria.
“If any other Nigerian is
interested in that right, they must also discuss at mutually agreed price.
Because what has happened over time is that this exclusivity is used to shut
other people who are willing to participate. You shut the window.
“How then do you develop an
economy? We have thousands of young promising Nigerian entrepreneurs, you know
that premium content derives advertising. If these channels are made available
at lower window levels through sublicensing to local little operators, they too
will be able to attract some level of advertising.
“But Capitalist are greedy, they
are extremely self-centered, they don’t want to give it out. But we know it is
important for our own economy and creative subsectors that this happens.”
The DG, who has worked at NBC for
over 28 years called on Nigerians to “have an ideological, philosophical
understanding of the motive of the policy, what does it intend to achieve”.
He said the policy is to
“redynamise and redistribute wealth in a way that there would be more
participation, more engagement and more opportunities”.
“What makes the capitalist think
that by keeping content to themselves, they maximize all the profits? Chances
are that by sublicensing, you make more. The more you share to people based on
the agreed sum, you are more likely to make more money quickly. It doesn’t
reduce your own large share but creates open windows.”
THISDAY reported that Multichoice
may not be renewing its English Premier League and UEFA Champions League rights
at the end of the 2020/2021 season.
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The policy will fail. DSTV has made their bones through hand work and investment. Let the other local players do the same. After all, HITV once had such opportunity but they bungled it.
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