New Television Channel Launches on StarTimes, Free TV Platforms

• Creativity Broadcasting Innovation News has launched live broadcasts on StarTimes Channel 285 and the Digital Switchover Free TV platform in Lagos.
• Baywood Group Executive Vice Chairman Chris Ibe said the milestone followed 11 years of infrastructure development and internal funding.
• CBI News plans to launch a content creators' monetisation app within a month and a streaming service before the end of 2026.

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Creativity Broadcasting Innovation News (CBI News) has commenced live broadcasts on StarTimes Channel 285 and the Digital Switchover Free TV platform, marking a new phase in its expansion across Nigeria's television and digital media landscape.

The launch was announced on Friday, November 13, during a media parley and facility tour in Lagos. Chris Ibe, Executive Vice Chairman of Baywood Group, the parent company of CBI News, said the milestone followed more than a decade of infrastructure development and strategic planning funded internally.

Ibe said the decision to distribute through both StarTimes and the Free TV platform was deliberate, as the company wanted to reach Nigerians who cannot afford satellite television subscriptions.

The Free TV service allows viewers to access broadcasts using standard television antennas without requiring a satellite dish.

He said:

"You will know that the other media organisations, like other operators, are very elitist. And we promise ourselves that we're not going to be an elitist media organisation"

CBI News plans content creators' monetisation app

Ibe also disclosed plans to launch a dedicated monetisation application within the next month to help Nigerian and African content creators earn income from their work across different formats.

He said the initiative was partly motivated by the difficulties African creators face in accessing monetisation opportunities on major international platforms.

"We're aware that some major platforms around the world are disenfranchising Africa today, and Nigeria particularly," he said.

Beyond the application, Ibe announced that CBI Prime, an over-the-top (OTT) streaming service, would launch before the end of 2026.

The platform is expected to combine live television, on-demand content and opportunities for users to monetise user-generated content.

CBI News completes digital broadcasting transition

Gbenga Adebija, Managing Director of CBI Digital Media Limited, the company that owns CBI News, said the station had completed its transition to digital broadcasting ahead of the December 2028 deadline set by the National Broadcasting Commission.

He added that further details about channel availability would be communicated in due course.

Adebija also disclosed that CBI News had introduced an artificial intelligence usage policy to guide newsroom operations and minimise the risks of deepfakes and misinformation.

CBI News was first introduced to the public in Lagos in 2025. Its latest distribution agreements expand its reach through both a pay-TV operator and a free-to-air digital broadcasting platform.

FG announces deadline for final analogue TV switch-off

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the federal government has announced December 2028 as the target date for completing the country's full transition from analogue to digital television broadcasting.

This follows the launch of a new free-to-air platform called FreeTV.

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), confirmed the timeline in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, noting that the shutdown would be rolled out in stages.