By Sodeinde Temidayo David
Broadcast satellite service, DSTV, has received threats from a group identified as Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) over the failure of its parent company, MultiChoice, to transmit northern-based television stations.
According to the CNG, due to this exclusion, 19 northern states of Nigeria may impose a region-wide boycott of DSTV.
This is coming as the group had recently written a complaint letter to the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) over the exclusion of northern-based TV stations on the DSTV platform.
Consequently, on its part, NBC had arranged a meeting with DSTV to change its position and consider transmitting northern-based television stations that meet the laid down procedures.
In response, Multichoice had asked the CNG to submit a list of five qualified television stations from Northern Nigeria for consideration by the entertainment company.
However, in a statement issued by the CNG’s spokesman, Mr Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, the coalition lamented that five months after the meeting and submission of the list of qualified television stations, there has not been any attempt by MultiChoice to keep its part of the agreement.
“The CNG, by this, wishes to remind you (NBC) to act to get the MultiChoice to keep its obligation agreed to at that meeting before considering the next line of action which may not preclude the enforcement of a regionwide boycott.”
The group has urged NBC to compel MultiChoice to honour its obligation as agreed to at their last meeting before the coalition takes the next line of action which may not preclude the enforcement of a region-wide boycott of the DSTV platform.
