(Ecofin Agency) – According to several sources, Netflix has canceled its original Nigerian series. A situation which raises fears of an imminent departure from this market, such as Amazon Prime Video at the start of 2024. The world leader in streaming is ruling out this possibility for the moment.
A vagueness has recently set in in the cinema and audiovisual sector in Nigeria, regarding the presence of Netflix. The world leader in streaming and video on demand has reportedly canceled all of its original Nigerian content and decided to no longer finance co-production with the country’s studios, according to a rumor spread at the Zuma International Film Festival which ended on December 5, 2024.
These remarks, attributed by several media to directors, were notably reiterated during a panel by director Kunle Afolayan, having produced the film and series of the Anikulapo franchise for Netflix. “Thank God we had already filmed seasons 2 and 3 of the series. Those who had signed at the same time as us and who had not yet filmed saw their series cancelled” he lamented.
The situation is quite surprising, knowing that in 2022, the streaming platform celebrated an investment total of $40 million in original Nigerian content between 2016 and 2022. Nigerian content displays rather good audiences on the platform as was the case of “Oloture”, which entered the Top 10 world’s most watched series on Netflix between 1is and July 7, 2024.
For many observers, this rumor presages a departure from Nigeria as was the case for Amazon Prime Video in January 2024. For the moment, Netflix is ruling out this option. In a message relayed by the local press, Edafe Onorio, of the Hill and Knowlton Strategies agency responsible for public relations for Netflix, said: “ We are not leaving Nigeria. We will continue to invest in local stories ».
Servan Ahougnon
