Through its Ministry of Information and Culture yesterday, the Nigerian government banned Twitter operations in Nigeria . In addition to that, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) was also directed to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria.
Here’s the statement issued by the ministry:
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday,citing the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.
The Minister said the Federal Government has also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria.
OTT Platform Means What?
OTT stands for “over-the-top,” the term used for the delivery of Audio, Video, Messaging, VoiP and other media via the Internet, without requiring users to subscribe to a traditional cable or satellite pay-TV service. OTT is a streaming resource providing content to viewers through the internet. OTT content can be viewed on different devices, including computers, mobile devices, CTV devices, and more.
You can think of an over-the-top application as anything that disrupts traditional billing models – from telcos or cable/satellite companies. Examples include Hulu or Netflix for video (replacing your regular TV provider) or Skype (replacing your long distance provider).
Services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and others are known as OTT.
There several types of OTT services:
- Video. Provides users with a licensed library of TV shows and films, as well as original video content. Examples of such platforms are Netflix, Hulu, Tubi, Disney, Crackle, Xumo, Amazon Prime Video and Discovery.
- Audio services for music streaming, such as YouTube Music, Amazon Music and Spotify.
- Messaging and voice services that allow users to share text and voice messages, often to replace phone calls. The most popular providers are WhatsApp, Telegram and Facebook Messenger.
Why do users prefer watching OTT content today?
- Exclusive content. OTT providers like Netflix and Amazon Prime offer plenty of unique and original content for their viewers, which is only available on their platforms.
- Reasonable price. You can access thousands of movies and TV series through OTT services wherever and whenever without paying a fortune.
- Multiple сompatibility. You don’t need to have a TV to get access to your favorite shows anymore. Instead, you can use mobile phones, smart TVs, computers, tablets or video game consoles.
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