By Aderemi Ogunpitan
It is hilarious and actually pitiable that government is focussed on breaking the monopoly of DSTV, according to the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
Is that the problem of broadcasting in Nigeria? When one scans the industry the question quite simply is what other business concern in the industry has made the kind of sustained investment in their business? Remember DSTV or Multichoice has been in Nigeria since 1991 or thereabouts when the franchise was leveraged into Nigeria through the Jamarkanis. That is 27 years. Now, I am not an advocate for monopoly, and the last time I produced a show for MNET was more than 16 years ago. We have an at-arms-length relationship. I don’t like many things they do. However, let us examine the situation.
What has stopped other broadcasters from developing content, creative and business models that can be sustained and be competitive? What happened to HITV? Was it DSTV that caused its folding up? Or, was it mismanaged?
How come the alternative competition to DSTV today is a Chinese operation, that is not even known outside the shores of China, but which ironically in Africa is a giant? Where are the Nigerian organisations that can compete? What happened? Did Dstv cause our misfortune? Have you seen the number of Nigerian owned channels on m DSTV platform, and from other African countries? Have you seen the local broadcasters on the platform? Even NTA was on the platform. Na beans? Please let’s make sense when we yarn!
Let me tell you. Don’t believe everything you hear. We are our own worst enemies. Inside the bureaucracy of government and regulator, are interests, corruption and intrigues which are inimical to the growth, protection and investment in the broadcast industry to the standard seen across the world, where broadcasting has imperical and substantiated influence on culture and progressive national development and values. But despite this foreigners are ready to take the risks. Why? And, they run their businesses successfully in this same environment and make billions. Are we deaf, mute or just plain incapable of doing the same thing? And, then we blame them? Such small mindedness. It’s silly.
How else do you explain the stunted roll out of digital broadcasting in Nigeria. It’s like a train that left the station to its destination, and never going to arrive. Is it DSTV behind the constant delays and court cases of corruption and delays in providing a digital platform? Is the platform going to guarantee great programming. Look at the rubbish on the screens of terrestrial broadcasters.
Where is NTA, AIT, Silverbird and other numerous broadcasters? One cannot survive without government funding, others are beholden to political connections, debt and enmeshed in all sorts of sub standard delivery of programming. Others who pretend to be leaders in the sector are privately comfortable with the rot, as it provides them a platform to consolidate their best TV station of the year awards. And, BON is helpless beyond the platitudes that seem to be the same year after year.
Look, it’s time to call a spade a spade and stop blaming others for our short sightedness, lack of vision, requiresd commitment, policy and honesty to move our industry forward.
I beg stop blaming monopoly and DSTV, we know where that’s coming from, and it’s another selfish strategy that will lead nowhere.
Let’s encourage ourselves to build our own. Stop chasing shadows! Let’s look at alternative business models, creative solutions, partnerships and cooperation. The market is too big for anyone to monopolise. In this regards we need new thinking. Not the same of the same, again!
