The Federal Government has commenced the first phase of its national television Audience Measurement System in Lagos, with selected households set to receive 36GB of monthly data for participating in the programme.
The initiative is being implemented by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) under the FreeTV brand and is aimed at giving Nigeria a more accurate picture of television viewing habits while improving the quality of data available to broadcasters, advertisers and content producers.
Brandspur Brand News reports that participating households will have Peoplemeter devices and data-enabled routers installed in their homes. The equipment will automatically capture television viewing patterns and securely transmit the information daily to a central data centre.
The households will receive 36GB of data every month as an incentive for their participation. Patrick Gomes, Chief Operating Officer of First Media and Entertainment Integrated Limited, the technical partner implementing the system, said the monthly allocation is currently worth about ₦11,000 and is intended to cover participants’ internet needs.
The programme will also provide quarterly incentives based on compliance. Households that consistently meet the requirements of the audience measurement system will be eligible for higher incentives, while those with lower compliance will receive a corresponding proportion.
The Lagos deployment follows a technical testing phase and proof-of-concept pilot conducted in selected homes, with the pilot results presented to stakeholders in Abuja during the second quarter of 2024.
Participants are being selected from Nigeria’s first nationwide Establishment Survey, which was completed in the first half of 2023. The survey covered 60,000 households across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, including 7,000 households in Lagos.
Information Minister Mohammed Idris said the modernised measurement system would help Nigeria better understand who is watching television, what they are watching and when they are watching it.
He said reliable audience data could strengthen investor confidence, encourage the production of quality Nigerian content and create more opportunities across the country’s media and creative industries.
NBC Director-General Charles Ebuebu described the rollout as a major development for the broadcasting sector, noting that the system would provide passive and more accurate tracking of audience consumption while addressing longstanding transparency challenges in Nigeria’s advertising and broadcasting markets.
Lagos is only the first phase of the Federal Government’s nationwide rollout. The second phase is expected to take the system to Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano, while the third phase will extend it to other major media markets across the six geopolitical zones.
The Audience Measurement System follows the Federal Government’s launch of FreeTV, a national digital television platform introduced in June 2026. The service gives households access to more than 100 television channels without monthly subscription fees.
FreeTV is part of Nigeria’s Digital Switch-Over programme, which is intended to complete the country’s migration from analogue to digital broadcasting. The Federal Government is targeting the end of 2028 for the final transition.
The digital migration is also expected to create new commercial opportunities across Nigeria’s broadcasting and entertainment industries. The NBC has estimated that the Digital Switch-Over programme could unlock the country’s ₦605.2 billion advertising market, potentially creating additional revenue opportunities for broadcasters, advertisers and content creators.
