Can Digital Broadcasting Bridge the Digital Divide? Evidence from Nigeria’s Post-Switchover Experience

Abstract

Nigeria's transition to digital broadcasting was meant to widen access to television services and close long-standing gaps in information availability, largely through sharper signal quality and a wider spread of content. Yet whether the switchover has genuinely narrowed the digital divide, or merely reshaped existing inequalities into subtler forms, remains an open question. This study examined whether digital broadcasting contributes to information inclusion in Nigeria's post-switchover era, while accounting for the roles of income, education, electricity supply, and digital literacy. A cross-sectional survey of 420 households drawn from selected urban, semi-urban, and rural areas was conducted, supported by a small number of key informant interviews to enrich interpretation. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to isolate the effect of digital broadcasting after controlling for key socioeconomic factors. The findings suggest that although access has improved, its independent influence on information inclusion weakens once structural conditions are taken into account, underscoring the persistence of the digital divide.