MTN Nigeria has started the pilot run of its TV service in Jos, Plateau State. MTN was awarded a digital broadcast license for N34 billion by Nigerian Broadcasting Service in September 2015.
According to MTN Nigeria Executive, Lynda Saint-Nwafor, “Nigerians could now watch TV programmes on their smartphones and other devices via Over-the-Top platforms like WhatsApp, BlackBerry Messenger, Facebook and Twitter, among others.”
Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Ferdi Moolman, said that subscribers will have the freedom to watch their favourite programmes when they choose the MTN Video-on-Demand service, “rather than having to watch at a specific broadcast time.”
“This will be the first fully converged broadcast and OTT-VOD service to launch in MTN,” he said.
“Once we commence full commercial activities, the TV service will deliver an exciting bouquet of rich local and international content to Nigerians.
“Indeed, the launch of MTN TV is another bold demonstration of MTN’s abiding faith in the future of Nigeria, driving growth and development by enabling Nigerians to keep pace with the latest global trends and converged solutions.”
An MTN spokesman told TechCentral that the company has two DTT multiplexers (chunks of bandwidth), which will yield about 40 channels.
“Right now, we have 17 channels available in Jos. The content line up today is made up of local Nigerian channels, but the plan is to add some international channels. However, we can’t give further details at this stage,” the spokesman said.
