Why Netflix is the First Choice of Filmmakers in Nigeria

Why Netflix is the First Choice of Filmmakers in Nigeria

At a meeting with one of the biggest film companies in Africa in February, they told me that Netflix is the first choice of Nigerian Filmmakers, because Netflix pays more for their content than Amazon Prime Video and other major competitors in the  streaming industry.

To be on Netflix is the dream of every Nigerian filmmaker for more money, more prestige and more privilege in the global film industry.

I was told that the filmmakers are willing to wait for even a year to be acquired by Netflix instead of being acquired by other streaming platforms within six months.

Netflix has over 230 million subscribers worldwide, including 74.3 million in the United States and Canada; 76.7 million in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, 41.7 million in Latin America and 38 million in the Asia-Pacific region.

Filmmakers in Nigeria have improved the quality of their film and TV productions to meet the international criteria for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other leading foreign streaming services.

Nigeria produces over 1, 000 movies annually, but only few of them are acquired by Netflix. 

The Nigerian film industry popularly known as Nollywood has been a sociocultural and economic phenomenon in filmmaking in Africa and according to UNESCO, the  "Nollywood Model' could help unlock 20 million African film jobs.

Nollywood Must Stop Producing Many Crappy Movies

Nollywood Must Stop Producing Many Crappy Movies

The popularity of the phenomenon of Nollywood was based on overproduction of cheap home videos widely distributed and pirated in Nigeria and neighbouring countries in West Africa from VHS tapes to DVDs on the streets before the launching of cable TV channels between 2001 and 2004 and then uploaded by several authorized and unauthtorized people on YouTube from 2005 ; followed by the launching of Ibaka TV and iROKOtv in 2011.

The proliferation of low budget home videos in Nigeria made Nollywood the second largest producer of movies in the world after the Bollywood of India;  making news headlines all over the world and attracting both International vendors and investors. 

The biggest video streaming services in the world led by Netflix and Amazon are now competing for the best of the film and TV productions in Nollywood which compelled the producers to improve the quality of their movies to satisfy the criteria for international acquisition and distribution. But quantity is still the focus of the majority of producers and the production of substandard movies is doing more harm than good to the sustainable development of Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry.

The productions of cheap movies have left the few cable TV channels and streaming services saturated with movies which subsequently reduced the market value of Nigerian movies in comparison to South African, South Korean, Mexican and Indian movies in international acquisition and distribution. 

The frequency of productions in Nigeria is increasing the crappy movies in both Nollywood and Kannywood that I am ashamed to watch many of the movies with even top A-List actors. 
Did the highly esteemed actors read the screenplays before acting their idiotic roles? Or the temptations of being paid hundreds of thousands of naira made them to skip and waive professional standards?

We have submissions of hundreds of Nigerian movies and yet international buyers can only accept less than 20 movies every quarter. 

Many producers are now selling their movies for less than the costs of the productions. 

Is it not embarrassing to spend more than N3 million naira to produce a movie in Lagos, Asaba or Kano and you end up selling it for less than N500, 000 for two years on a local TV channel?
The local TV stations are now rejecting many movies, because they are saturated with dozens of movies and series submitted to them.
The local TV stations don't need to produce original movies and series, because they are cheaper to acquire from hundreds of unsolicited movies and series sent to them. 

It is not good to produce more than 1, 000 movies every year, but we can only count the best on our fingertips.

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
Publisher/Editor, 

NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series,
Tuesday, July 12, 2022.

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CHATROOM Set for Release on April 15 on Afro Cinema

International award winning music star, Omawumi Megbele, ace broadcaster and publisher, Adesuwa Onyenokwe, Nollywood lover boy, Ibrahim Suleiman, comedian Akpororo, award winning actor, Tony Umez, Canada trained actress, Nengi Adoki and multiple award winning actor Odunlade Adekola are set to headline a new movie titled ‘CHATROOM’ to be released on Good Friday, April 15, 2022 on international digital platform, afrocinema.tv.

The film, premiered to the press and the diplomatic community at the Deputy British High Commissioners residence in March 2020 and is inspired by true life events. A suspense-filled drama, the movie tells an authentic, fun, socially relevant and inspiring story, a must-watch for everyone.

Set in Lagos, Nigeria, it tells the gritty, yet inspiring story of Ebiere (Nengi Adoki), an almost down and out young lady in her mid-20‘s who finds an opportunity to be in a popular,  dance reality TV show as an opening for her to get away from the haunting ghost of her past. The fun filled TV reality show takes an unexpected turn when she is triggered to face her past trauma causing a nationwide turmoil. Laced with comedy, romance and power tussles, it's a story of overcoming and finding one's voice and inspired by true life events.

Written and Directed by award winning film director, Chike Ibekwe, CHATROOM is a contemporary 98mins drama that will take audiences on a roller coaster of emotions and have audiences at the edges of their seats. It is a beautiful mix of comedic thrills with core themes around love, betrayal, stigma, sexual abuse, violence, power and more.

Other casts include multiple award winning actor, Sambasa Nzeribe, international singer, dancer and actress, Ronya Man, award winning actor, Rykardo Agbor, award winning actress and broadcaster, Vivian Anani, Ghanaian actor, Kobby Acheampong, Camerounian actor and dancer, Lea Dibebe, actress and author, Damilare Kuku among many others.

This will be the first time, ace broadcaster and publisher, Adesuwa Onyenokwe will be venturing into the movie industry as she is also the Associate Producer of the movie apart from having an appearance in it.

The movie is produced by Peju Fadirepo Ibekwe, and shot on locations and in studios in Lagos and Onitsha. It can be seen from its global release date of April 15 on www.afrocinema.tv.

It will also have its exclusive official premiere on April 17 at the prestigious Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos.