The news that global streaming giant— Netflix— will no longer commission Nigerian movie productions has continued to reverberate in the movie industry and beyond.
Speaking at the recently held Zuma Film Festival in Abuja, popular actor and filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan, had said, “I have tried to avoid the issue of Netflix because it is really heartbreaking and a big blow to us. I have been thinking of how we can come from earning in dollars to thinking of where to put our films.
“Three years ago when we signed the three films with Netflix, it was really exciting, because all that was required was to make a movie for the platform per year and that came with a guarantee of funds.
“I would like to encourage most of the filmmakers out there. I really think the government has to do a lot more. Individuals majorly run the industry, and the last time a grant was given was during President Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure. Some used the grant well but others lavished it.”
Afolayan’s comments triggered waves of reactions as it became a major talking point in the country. However, clarifying his stance some days later, the filmmaker said, “The last time they (Netflix) were here, we had meetings and they’re still reassuring us that, look, we’re still here, we’re going to do stuff, but we might not be able to do the kind of volume we used to do. What I was emphasising at that meeting (Zuma Film Festival) was to say that even if you guys are saying Netflix is not doing enough, or Netflix is not taking as much as they should, why shouldn’t we as a country come up with other distribution platforms?”
Reacting to the development, comedian and filmmaker, Ayo Makun, popularly known as AY, told Saturday Beats, “They have already debunked the news that they are leaving Nigeria, and I am not in a position to say that Netflix has arrived at a decision. Not too long ago, they had a meeting with me concerning moving forward, and they categorically stated what they were looking at, which means they are not going out completely. But, they have a direction they want to go. However, there have been reports that they are not recouping the money they are investing in our industry. That is a major problem. The problem goes beyond what the producers are doing and not doing. It is also from the perspective of making a profit. If they are not making money, they have to pull back to re-strategise. But definitely, I don’t think they are going out completely because people are still subscribing to Netflix in Nigeria. And, if people are subscribing, they will find a way to be of service to us.”
On her part, actress, Bimbo Akintola, told our correspondent, “Netflix has come at the right time, but you have to understand something. There are a lot of people in Nigeria, and if Netflix does leave, something else will come. And we have YouTube as well. YouTube is the new thing, and it’s growing, and people are opening different channels on YouTube.”
Speaking on producers misusing funds for production, she added, “That’s another kettle of fish. I am sure that was part of the reasons but they shouldn’t have allowed the market to be so closed. They should have made the market open.
“In some other countries, you can just walk into their office and drop your films. They should have done that with Nigerians. It would mean more work for them, but at the end of the day, they would have a wider range, and it would not be monopolised by a few.
“But, I don’t think that’s the major reason for Netflix to bow out of Nigeria, because all they had to do is deal with the actors directly. They don’t need to stop originals to handle that.”
“I think the problem they were having is that they’re not getting as many viewers watching the originals as they thought they would. They’re forgetting that Rome was not built in a day. But I still like the fact that they’re still here. They haven’t pulled out. We’ll see how it goes. I think they’ll be convinced once things pick up.”
Weighing in on the development, comedian, Basketmouth, who premiered his first film some weeks ago, stated in an interview that “most” producers used the money for films for other things rather than what they were meant for.
He said, “When the streaming platforms came in, they gave money to these producers, and I’ll tell you point blank, these producers would take the money $1.5m and use about 10 per cent to make the movie.
“So, when you do that and expect your movie to be 100 per cent, it can’t. It’s impossible. But these guys? They’ll buy houses and cars. And that’s why when you see our movies, some of our epic movies look like stage plays.
“Even to the point where the streaming platforms stepped in and said, ‘You know what? We are going to be paying the actors directly,’ these guys would still go behind and tell the actors to pay half of that money back to them. You can verify the information anywhere.”
Netflix entered the Nigerian market in 2016, and since then, it is said to have invested $23.6m into 250 Nigerian productions, including ‘Blood Sisters’ and ‘King of Boys’, which gained significant acclaim.
