Media ownership and market structures: banes of news media sustainability in Nigeria?

Abstract

With the mixture of government-owned media outlets and private media establishments, Nigerian news media industry is deemed as one of the leading media industries in Africa. But, in spite of its leading status on the continent, the industry is plagued with a series of multi-faceted challenges of sustainability that is rooted in the socio-economic and political contexts. Consequently, privately owned media outlets have short-life span in Nigeria. This article assesses the challenges of news media sustainability in Nigeria. The article underscores the adverse effects of structural deficit in the democratic norms and institutional capabilities on the news media sustainability in Nigeria.