NBC Lauds Firms' $1Bn SetTop-Box Manufacturing Plant Deal

Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has expressed its delight over a mega setTop-boxes manufacturing plant to be estimated in Nigeria at over $1billion cost.

The manufacturing plant expected to commence operation by the fourth quarter of 2016 is being established by the Media Concept International (MCI) Limited, NBC Licensed SetTop box manufacturer, with its chosen partner- KAONMedia of South Korea.

Mr. Emeka Mba, director general of NBC, while speaking during the partnership signing between the two companies, described the plant as a major breakthrough in the country’s quest to achieve June 2017 digital broadcasting switchover deadline having missed the earlier deadline (June 2015) set by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Mba said that digital broadcasting migration as a national project is monumental and deserves professional competencies, because it entails total overhaul of the technologies existing in the broadcasting space.

He said that, with over 26million households who have access to television, Nigeria remains the biggest TV market in Africa, hence NBC has been making deliberate efforts to prevent one-off migration as producers’ investments; the entertainment industry; viewers and the economy in general will be the worst hit.

Mba said that NBC prioritizes standards, which forms part of reasons the Commission insisted that participating companies must set up manufacturing plants in Nigeria; to create room for proper monitoring and testing of the products.

Mr. Babatope Agbeyo, chairman, Media Concepts International Limited, said that when operational, the plant can manufacture over three million setTop boxes annually and will employ over 1000 Nigerians.

According to him, Media Concept choice of KAONMedia of South Korea was based on MCI’s extreme cravings for qualitative products.

On his part, Mr. Young Kang, sales director, KAONmedia, Middle East and Africa (MEA), said they were excited to be part of epoch-making event in Nigeria, adding that the company has the capacity to produce over 21million units of setTop boxes per year.