'Nigeria's Netflix' takes Nollywood to a
global audience
By Tomi Oladipo
BBC, Lagos
29 July 2014 Last updated at 00:01
Dedicated follower of film: Nollywood produces more films per
year than any country bar India
An episode of Shuga, a popular soap opera set in Kenya, is playing
on a screen at the offices of iRoko TV - an online platform
commonly dubbed the "Netflix of Africa".
In a corner of the room, facing the rest of the operation and
separated by a glass partition, sits Jason Njoku, the company's
founder.
Born and brought up in London, Mr Njoku is now Lagos-based and
building what is proving to be a revolutionary tool, as Nollywood -
Nigeria's Hollywood - moves on from DVD to digital platforms.
Since 2011, iRokoTV has racked up millions of views, its founder
says, "connecting African films with fans globally" with its huge
online catalogue.
The company pays filmmakers about $10,000 (£5,900) to $25,000
for the digital rights to stream their content for a period of time.
Inside the iRoko offices in Lagos
In fact, Jason Njoku says the group spends $3m-$4m a year on
licensing and producing content, hoping to make back the money
in two to three years.
Subscribers pay a monthly fee of $8 with unlimited access to
movies from around Africa on the iRoko TV platform, although
most productions come from Nigeria and Ghana.
"There's always that star power thing…similar to Hollywood,
similar to Bollywood, similar to any content industry around the
world," says Mr Njoku.
Jason Njoku is the founder of iRokoTV
"You look at the stars, you look at the director…super important…
you also look at the quality of the actual movies themselves, and
we try to sync that with the audience, so, every ten movies we
view, we only buy one or two of them."
It is a model that not many would have thought about a few years
ago, but today iRoko's success has seen the emergence of other
competitors.
One, Pana TV, secured the rights to the acclaimed film Half Of A
Yellow Sun, which stars Hollywood's Chiwetel Ejiofor and Thandie
Newton.
The industry is growing, and is said to be a major employer in
Nigeria, contributing to 1.4% of the country's GDP.
Lights, camera, action
In a quiet Lagos suburb, three dozen people, most of them in their
twenties and thirties, crowd a room in silence, listening to a
passionate prayer led by a man in the centre.
As soon as he is done, they disperse and work on the film set
begins.
Director's chair: Obi Emelonye on the set for Nollywood film series
The Calabash in Lagos
This is the making of The Calabash, an ambitious 100-episode
film series that lawyer-turned-filmmaker Obi Emelonye hopes to
get on-screen, including on iRokoTV, before the end of the year.
"It's a very tasking, almost stupid episode to film 100 episodes in
a go without $1bn, but we can show that with a good story, with
dedication, with a committed cast and crew, with a bit of luck, you
can achieve great things," says Mr Emelonye, with a smile.
A power cut darkens the room and filming pauses.
In less than a minute a generator outside the building drones into
life, the lights come back on, and production continues almost as
if nothing happened.
Shop till you drop: Nollywood movies are sold as DVDs in shops
and markets across the country
The challenges on set are evident, but when the production is
complete there are even greater challenges getting the films out to
the viewers while still paying the filmmakers.
Nigeria's film industry churns out some 50 films a week,
surpassed only by India's Bollywood.
Most of these are released on DVD, and sold cheaply on the
streets around Nigeria, although the industry has now garnered a
huge following across Africa and among Afro-Caribbean
communities around the world.
But this is not necessarily good news for the filmmakers.
"Distribution is the biggest problem for Nollywood," says Mr
Emelonye.
"DVD is dying out and since we are still dependent on DVD then
our industry suffers."
This nation of 160 million people only has about 14 functional
cinemas, which mostly screen Hollywood blockbusters.
Choosing the alternative
Weaving one's way through a sea of human traffic in the Idumota
section of Lagos Island, one of the older parts of the city, you see
a series of shops peppered with posters of Nollywood titles like
Funke The Illiterate and Brazil Return.
The DVD market is still
thriving and there's hardly a
better example of this than in
Idumota.
"Some films sell out very
quickly…as soon as people
know who the actor is they
come and buy the copies,"
says Kelechi Kene, a vendor.
He adds that although he has
heard of digital platforms like
iRoko, they do not pose any
threat to businesses like his
which sell films on DVD.
Filmmakers fear that outlets
like these are not properly
regulated and so pirates can
use them to make a fortune.
The power of DVD has not escaped the eye of iRokoTV, which has
now ventured into the South African market, adding the offline
option for its movie releases.
Despite the growth and success of digital innovation observers
feel the sector is far from achieving its potential without proper
legislation on rights and distribution.
"Outlets like iRokoTV, Pana TV and Ibaka TV are only offering
streaming services," says Ayeni Adekunle, editor-in-chief of
Nigeria Entertainment Today.
"We need to be able to buy these films online because the
filmmakers need to make their money back and they are not doing
that right now. Having said that, we see these platforms going
beyond hosting films to now creating their own content, which is a
good thing"