Netflix Plans Africa Expansion Following Hit Series

Netflix, an online video-streaming giant has planned to expand its operations in Africa, as a result of the success of hit shows like the South African drama “Blood and Water.”

The American based company said it had spent about $175 million in the production of films in Africa since it began operation in the continent in 2006.

The firm said in a report without giving details on the scale of its African plans but said that $63 million had been earmarked for South Africa alone in 2022-23.

“Expanding our business here is good for Netflix,” the firm said in a press conference in Johannesburg. 

Shola Sanni, Netflix’s sub-Saharan Africa policy director said Netflix operations in sub-Saharan Africa plan to reach more countries in the continent. The company had so far focused on South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, creating more than 12,000 jobs.

South Africa is the continent’s largest contributor with more than 170 movies, series and documentaries to the streaming service.

Blood and Water, a South-African Netflix series received international praise in 2020, becoming the first South African show to reach No. 1 in the United States.

“We… intend to build on these milestones to grow our business — even as we continue to invest to bolster local creative economies and give more and more African storytellers an amplified voice on the global stage,” the firm said.

In recent years, since the big hit with series like the Spanish smash “Money Heist” and South Korean dystopian drama “Squid Game”, Netflix decided to diversify its production outside the US.

The company partnered with the United Nations cultural agency, UNESCO, in 2021 to finance six short movies from young African directors.

“It’s honestly about time (that) worthy platforms realise the richness and value in our stories,” one of the six recipients, South African filmmaker Gcobisa Yako, told AFP.