Netflix Naija Launches First Project Featuring A-Listers

When Netflix Naija launched on Twitter, 14 personalities including some A-listers were featured in an image which they posted in their first tweet. It has been confirmed that of those 14 people, some are board members and others are actors of Netflix Naija and that 90% of the Netflix Naija team are Nigerian.

In essence, it is now clear that the global on-demand movie streaming company is set to collaborate with Nollywood directors and producers to churn out more local Netflix originals. Already, reports have it that Netflix has begun the process of shooting movies in Nigeria, with the first project ongoing at some locations in Lagos.

This project will be produced by Kunle Afolayan, Kemi Lala Akindoju, and Akin Omotosho; directed by Akin Omotosho, Daniel Oriahi, and C.J Obasi; and Netflix funding the entire production. This is in contrast with the first Nigerian Netflix original, Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart, which was only acquired after production.

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However, if all this is true, it is not clear how consistently similar productions will take place. Reports say that only a few are planned for this year, while more are expected depending on how well this one turns out.

To increase the viewer experience of its less than 60,000 Nigerian subscribers, this move by Netflix is quite timely, and is also expected to give Nollywood a much needed boost. As things stand, it is quite clear Nollywood welcomes this and is willing to collaborate more.

The production of this project may take a few months to complete. Till then, Nigerians and fans of Nollywood should expect more local content added to the almost 50 movies already featured on the VOD platform.

Meanwhile, Queen Sono, the first original TV series from Netflix in Africa is currently showing on the streaming platform with majorly positive reviews. It is the first of many planned projects from the streaming giant, which was awakened to the potential in Africa after the Marvel movie “Black Panther” broke box-office records across the continent two years ago.

This increased interest in Africa by the video-on-demand (VOD) service, as evidenced by the presence of Netflix Naija, follows the growing prevalence of high internet speeds, affordable data and popularity of A-listers across the continent. According to a report by Digital TV Research The streaming industry is said to have made $183 million last year and is expected to increase that revenue to more than $1 billion by 2025.