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Media · Nigeria

Obtain a broadcasting licence (NBC)

License a radio/TV or satellite broadcasting station with the National Broadcasting Commission: request & buy the form → submit feasibility & business plan → processing and approval → pay the category licence fee (5-year term).

4
steps
2
agencies involved
Who you will deal with
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)NBC → Minister → President
The steps
  1. 1Request and purchase the application form
    Agency
    National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)
    What is required
    Write to the Director-General to request approval to buy the application form; on approval purchase it (₦50,000) at an NBC zonal office. Applicant must be a CAMA-registered body with majority Nigerian shareholding.
    Documents
    CAC incorporation; letter to the DG; ₦50,000 form fee
    Typical timeline
    Application stage
  2. 2Submit application with feasibility study
    Agency
    National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)
    What is required
    Submit the completed form with a business feasibility study and business plan for the proposed station (category: FTA radio/TV, cable/MMDS, DBS, DTH, community).
    Documents
    Feasibility study; business plan; technical proposal
    Typical timeline
    Processing
  3. 3Processing and approval
    Agency
    NBC → Minister → President
    What is required
    The Commission processes the application and recommends it through the Minister of Information to the President for approval.
    Documents
    Submitted application
    Typical timeline
    Council/ministerial cycle
  4. 4Pay the licence fee and commence
    Agency
    National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)
    What is required
    Pay the category licence fee for a 5-year term (e.g. MMDS Cat A ₦5m / Cat B ₦4m; DBS single channel ₦10m). Meet local-content rules (60% TV, 80% radio). Renew ≥6 months before expiry.
    Documents
    Licence-fee payment
    Typical timeline
    5-year term

Primary source: https://lawsofnigeria.placng.org/view2.php?sn=276 · confidence: high

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The numbers behind the decision

Knowing the process is half of it. ONYX also tracks the operating environment you are entering — daily grid generation, official FX, state-level input prices and inflation, and sector output — each figure source-linked and dated.

ONYX publishes what the responsible agencies publish, with a link to each source. Requirements, fees and timelines change, and an officer's reading of a rule can differ from the published text. Verify against the linked source before you commit money — this is reference information, not legal advice.

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