₦airaland Forum

uvie66:
.... How can EV charging station work in Nigeria? with our epileptic power supply!!!

Exactly what I am saying! Sometimes you have a good idea but you are too early. Not enough electric cars + no stable grid supply.

It’s not stopping some people from trying to set up ev charging points now based on emotion and not their heads but they will fail. They will just end up being the sacrificial lambs.

Gerrard59:
The comments here and on Twitter say a lot about the founder's persona and business practices. Besides, it is not every business model that works abroad would work in Nigeria. Basic trading and manufacturing are the key businesses to propel Nigerians' economic growth. People need to earn comfortably and consistently before they can afford alternative entertainment. And one wonders why the Indians, Chinese and Lebanese thrive. Why won't they when they solve basic problems? The other day, some cl0wns on Twitter mocked Dangote for building a refinery, whereas his American counterparts are releasing tech services and updates. Many ignor.ant people with access to the Internet. Na Obasanjo caused all this thing.

tunapawizzy:
infrastructure, security and patches, personnel cost, content acquisition and production, licensing, rights, data center cost/cloud computing & storage, software engineering, marketing & advertising, Research & development..many more

If they did all you said how come then they couldn't make profit. Or does all that cost and expenses you listed not cover feasibility study?
...my friend want to know.

You dey mind am ?

Did Nigeria have the infrastructure when MTN was busy using its own money to build sub-stations all over the country ?

Rubyjade:
Did DStv have the infrastructure when they came to Nigeria?

iwaeda:
Nothing is surviving under APC. This dollar floating is another thing. Also people don't follow regulations, people even sell passwords to their friends. People are too poor to enjoy entertainment.

It is always very easy to blame someone else for been a Failure, sure it is The APC’s fault, your fellow Nigerians couldn’t transform Nigeria for u to be enjoying in abi?

Thank you, jare. I nearly skipped the article.

The company entered profit mode in 2019. That was impressive. With their promotion at the time, I assumed it was doing well. COVID hit them, so? COVID destabilized many industries. Many are still reeling from its effect today. Sha, a lesson was learned from everything, he learned how to make money from the Nigerian market. We’re 230 million human beings as I type this. He will bounce back strong.

AuthegaPRIMUS:
Summary 😒😒

Jason Njoku, founder of iROKOtv, reflected candidly on the platform’s 15-year journey and its struggle to succeed in Nigeria's challenging streaming landscape. Launched in 2011, iROKOtv attracted major global investors like Tiger Global and spent over $100 million trying to build a viable streaming business in Nigeria. However, due to expensive data, poor payment infrastructure, and limited consumer spending power, the company remained in "survival mode" for a decade.
Despite aggressive efforts—such as deploying kiosks, building content libraries, and targeting diaspora markets—iROKOtv couldn’t compete effectively with global players like Netflix, Amazon, and Showmax, who collectively spent over $1 billion in Africa from 2015–2023. Njoku admitted that, in hindsight, the Nigerian market was not mature enough to support a $5/month premium service model.
While the streaming arm struggled, iROKOtv’s ROK Studios—focused on content production and TV distribution—proved successful, representing 80% of the company’s revenue. In 2019, a $25 million partial exit to Canal+ allowed the company to realize profits, but subsequent reinvestment into the local market post-COVID wiped out much of that gain.
By 2023, Njoku and his team exited the Nigerian streaming market, conceding it wasn't viable. He now believes the real value in Nollywood lies in content creation, channels, and distribution—not streaming. Reflecting on costly lessons, Njoku cautions other founders against over-raising and misjudging market readiness. He concluded that billions were wasted across the industry trying to force a model that didn’t fit Nigeria’s economic realities, reinforcing the importance of strategic discipline and realistic market assessment.

bro.. u mean $100M

thats enough to buy oil blocks or start a high end real estate business

He need to leave Nigeria market and start In other markets

Did you actually read the story?

Karlman:
Ok
But what was the hundred mili dols used for?
...my friend wants to know.

Konquest:
This dude has a long tale of strong headwinds here.

That business model was hyped up back then BUT now, it's gone belly up.

All businesses models have business cycles though, so, do NOT settle for fancy business models (or product models)... choose wisely for the long-term.

Iroko failed because it did not work on the wide-screen. It insisted in being mobile only despite diaspora being its most profitable market. You cannot reach diaspora on a mobile only strategy.

And then while others were going multi channel - they were building kiosks all over the place.

prettytasha:
And one rubbish statistics yesterday is saying stocks increased. When naira has been heavily devalued

what does stock have to do with naira. So much ignorance with so much confidence

inoki247:
Lol una sure..


Na only Nigeria una focus una market

Ehn ehnnn
Dem for focus on gabon

oshiokpu:
Bros even Netflix and Amazon already divested from Nigerian Content market . The market in Nigeria is tough with very little yield. Show empathy, wish them well and move on. You can’t reduce decades of people’s efforts to this 4 lines of rubbish you submitted.

I spend money on data but would never use it to watch rubbish content. They should have made more effort on quality content and not every movie featuring his wife.

If you spend decades building rubbish..who is to blame?

MIKOLOWISKA:
Ehn ehnnn
Dem for focus on gabon

Lol Nigeria market isn't enough them suppose to like Dem Kenya SA...


Or you think if MTN focus on SA alone dey will be this strong..


Or Netflix focussing only on US

EponObi:
I agree with you. Another perspective, there are very lucrative businesses that will more than thrive with a $100m war chest in this country. If I have that kind of arsenal, I will cater to Nigerians' need not want. Streaming platform like IrokoTv just doesn't sit right with this country at the moment. Some things that should be basic like this are luxuries in this area. Even giants like Netflix struggles. Spotify and Apple Music seems like the only platform doing well here. Hummmm... music platforms. I'd love to know the best performing niche in Nigeria between the movie and music industry.

Exactly what I am saying. That when the economy of a country is truncated to serve only emergency sectors then the country is drifting towards a shutdown. Can development come on the foundation of just one, two or three sectors, no.

Is the business of broadcasting and mass communication now a luxury....Kai.

DEXTROVERT:
When
Contents
Free movie sites dey

Next
Is
Dstv

I have
More than 2 apps for football streaming
On my android

U get 2 LoL, I get 12 wey I take de watch football leagues, even sporty bet and sporty tv go show you Poland and Estonian football leagues de play.

inoki247:
Lol Nigeria market isn't enough them suppose to like Dem Kenya SA...

how many are they in kenya
What is their gdp per capita
Are we not all poor in Africa?
Who will pay for mediocre movies on top data costs?
He has become detached from reality staying in the abroad
Freemium may have worked better

Or you think if MTN focus on SA alone dey will be this strong..

shey you know they make more in Nigeria which is now their headquarters not Kenya or Uganda

Or Netflix focussing only on US

bad as e bad we are still the largest African market due to our sheer population

MIKOLOWISKA:
how many are they in kenya
What is their gdp per capita
Are we not all poor in Africa?
Who will pay for mediocre movies on top data costs?
He has become detached from reality staying in the abroad
Freemium may have worked better shey you know they make more in Nigeria which is now their headquarters not Kenya or Uganda bad as e bad we are still the largest African market due to our sheer population

Lol you don't get it if MTN decides to stay in only SA how will they know they will make more....



You don't base your Market only one Country once you've the funds try other countries too...

Too big for online touts! It's sad we have to share same space, one of the ills of social media!
No be by chochocho👊

appleous:
See an agbero forming a movie producer.

Who dash mokney banana?

Mynd44:
"We spent $100m trying to win. We finally accepted there was no market for paid services and exited Nigeria" Businessman, Jason Njoku speaks on iROKOtv shutdown




https://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2025/6/we-spent-100m-trying-to-win-we-finally-accepted-there-was-no-market-for-paid-services-and-exited-nigeria-businessman-jason-njoku-speaks-on-irokotv-shutdown.html#comments

Hmmmnn😊 You simply lack ideas 😋

Youtube destroys their business

Maybe one day, GOD might use me to rescue the entertainment industry in Nigeria, Africa, and worldwide.
May GOD help me and give me the grace.
Amen.

Acidosis:
Any subscription-based pay-TV programme that concentrates fully on the Nigerian market will fail. There's no other way. You either go the way of YouTube and Spotify by bombarding people with ads to make up for their low purchasing power and poverty, or pack up. Another way is to make your money by stealing user data, then sell to willing partners abroad. But if your aim is to convince Nigerians to pay for streams, apps, or anything they can easily get a counterfeit from China or a fraudulently-hacked alternative that allow multiple users (e.g., Truecaller Pro, Canvas, Capcut, Netflix, Apple Music etc.), you have already failed before you even begin. They will never pay because they can't afford it.

Unfortunately, we don't even see our inability to afford basic things like that as a problem because of our strong affinity for failed governance. In fact, Nigerians consider their low purchasing power and inability to afford the very basic things of life as smartness because there is always that fake engineer and hacker willing to bypass the due process as well as a professional politician willing to convince them to exercise the same level of patience their great grandparents had.

Ordinary Grammarly Pro subscription, many can't afford. Microsoft Office installation, they still can't afford, instead we run to computer village, the home of fake counterfeit software, looking for a fake uncertified engineer to install a fake software or a fake movie site that sells their data to American and Chinese companies for crumbs.

Many thanks for your brutally honest assessment of who we are.
I hope that you have more opportunities to share your thoughts on our basic inadequacies.
Stay blessed sir.

Acidosis:
Any subscription-based pay-TV programme that concentrates fully on the Nigerian market will fail. There's no other way. You either go the way of YouTube and Spotify by bombarding people with ads to make up for their low purchasing power and poverty, or pack up. Another way is to make your money by stealing user data, then sell to willing partners abroad. But if your aim is to convince Nigerians to pay for streams, apps, or anything they can easily get a counterfeit from China or a fraudulently-hacked alternative that allow multiple users (e.g., Truecaller Pro, Canvas, Capcut, Netflix, Apple Music etc.), you have already failed before you even begin. They will never pay because they can't afford it.

Unfortunately, we don't even see our inability to afford basic things like that as a problem because of our strong affinity for failed governance. In fact, Nigerians consider their low purchasing power and inability to afford the very basic things of life as smartness because there is always that fake engineer and hacker willing to bypass the due process as well as a professional politician willing to convince them to exercise the same level of patience their great grandparents had.

Ordinary Grammarly Pro subscription, many can't afford. Microsoft Office installation, they still can't afford, instead we run to computer village, the home of fake counterfeit software, looking for a fake uncertified engineer to install a fake software or a fake movie site that sells their data to American and Chinese companies for crumbs.

No lies. I knew I have finally been released from the stronghold of free things when I paid for YouTube Music and Grammarly Pro.

BlackViper:
Did you actually read the story?

How else did I know they spent 100mili dollars?

anonimi:
Many thanks for your brutally honest assessment of who we are.
I hope that you have more opportunities to share your thoughts on our basic inadequacies.
Stay blessed sir.

Thank you. I appreciate your feedback

pocohantas:
No lies. I knew I have finally been released from the stronghold of free things when I paid for YouTube Music and Grammarly Pro.

Haha, I agree. I'm happy for you oo. I can almost imagine the sense of responsibility you felt from that.

yewit37486:
Nigerians. You, do you even understand the true meaning of 1 million naira? Have you run a business beyond a local level? A person who has operated at the scale this guy has operated at is not someone to be asking this kind question.

You are hitching to defend that outrageous amount, right? He's exaggerating. Or, the rest of the 100 million dollars went into their pockets, may be that's why they failed

pocohantas:
No lies. I knew I have finally been released from the stronghold of free things when I paid for YouTube Music and Grammarly Pro.

So my prayer worked. That's good. I'm so happy for you. Bring seed to seal the blessing.