Netflix has declared war on Nigerians. Wait! I know we are still celebrating the good news that Netflix has officially landed in Naija. I don’t mean to ruin the moment. I just don’t want everyone to get carried away. Why is this war?

First, let’s think about the most important stakeholder here — THE AUDIENCE. Nigerians have a love-hate relationship with Nollywood. One moment, we are raving about Aki and Paw Paw’s performance, the next we are complaining about the repetitive storylines, poor production quality, among many other things anyone can complain about. The industry and its practitioners have been called many names (good, bad, ugly) by its audience.

However, in the recent years, we’ve seen a fresh set of filmmakers emerge, popularly called the new Nollywood. These ones have transformed the industry with their top-notch, quality production. The audience knows this. They love it. Yet, some still hate Nollywood. Why? Most complain that the stories are still drab.

Things escalated when Netflix started to acquire the rights to and stream Nollywood content. We’ve seen comments on Twitter from some fans and viewers talking down on some movies that made it to Netflix. In fact, a Twitter user accused a popular Nollywood director of blocking him after he made unsatisfied remarks about the filmmaker’s project airing on Netflix.

In the past few months, we’ve watched Nollywood come under attack on Twitter. What makes matters interesting is that most filmmakers don’t take it lightly when such fans come after them. They release their full arsenal and come at such fans. You’ll read tweets like “Put your money where your mouth is. Invest in Nollywood if you want better content. You think sey to shoot na beans?”

Both parties have valid points — the audience thinks Nollywood can do better, the filmmakers are challenging the people to invest in the industry. Now that Netflix is in Naija, what will change? Will we have better stories and improved quality of production?

Let’s talk about stories. When Nigerians accuse Nollywood of having poor stories, screenwriters become defensive. Most times, the excuse is always that writers are not paid well and they are always rushed to deliver on projects within a short time frame. Okay… How would Netflix’s presence in Nigeria positively influence this? Will storytelling improve? Does this mean more job opportunities for writers? Does it mean more income for Nigerian writers? If that happens, maybe we’ll get better stories and make the viewer’s happy!

Next are the FILMMAKERS. Nigerian filmmakers are passionate about raising the quality of Nollywood films. They want to deliver better content to their audience and also meet global demands. However, every time we talk about filmmaking in Nigeria, lack of funding tops the list of challenges producers face. That’s why we have a lot of “Let’s just do it like that” kind of projects. Fortunately, some filmmakers have been able to move past that. Drawing from their experience in business and their wide network of rich and powerful partners, they’ve been able to raise large funds to invest in huge movies that have turned out to become blockbusters. Will Netflix provide bigger funds for these producers to keep making higher quality content? Or will it remain business as usual? What happens to the producer who doesn’t belong to the right network and doesn’t enjoy the privileges of access to funds? Will it be a fair game for all? A school of thought believes that international companies rushing to court Nollywood might not necessarily be interested in increasing production budget but to milk as much profit as possible from the industry. Well, time will tell.

Talking about production budgets. That brings me to the CAST AND CREW. Oh. The beloved Nollywood Cast and Crew. What’s your fate in all of these? Despite news of some new movies raking in millions of naira at the box office, one cannot boldly state that Nollywood is a lucrative business for an average cast and crew member.

Shall we discuss the poor working conditions for crews and actors which have not seen significant change in the recent years because most producers run on low budgets and quick shooting schedules? At the end of the day, the take home pay of an average actor or crew member is nothing to write home about. So you ask, why do people still do it? For the passion? Limited choices or what? Whatever reason you assign to it, the fact still remains that this is an industry that is run by people — talents (actors) and crew members who are paid poorly, lack any form of insurance, work under harsh conditions with little or no welfare package among other things.

What will Nollywood’s latest lover, Netflix do about this? Will it insure its actors and crew members? I once heard a joke about an international filmmaker who came to shoot in Nigeria. During a meeting with the Nigerian producers, he mentioned welfare and insurance. The narrative is that, the Nigerian producers just laughed it off and told him/her that there’s no need for breakfast, “the actors will be fine” and he should forget insurance “God is our protector.” Do I need say anything further?

We still have more players in this new war declared by Netflix — the COMPETITORS (read MultiChoice, IROKOtv and others). It’s no longer news that Netflix and MultiChoice have been at loggerheads for some time. Last year, MultiChoice launched ShowMax; an on-demand video service with intentions to compete against Netflix ahead of its launch in Nigeria. One cannot deny the massive impact and contribution of South African telecommunications giant, MultiChoice to the growth and development of Nollywood. Putting into consideration that MultiChoice through its Africa Magic channels provide a wide distribution platform for the industry across Africa. Same as IROKOtv (dubbed the ‘Netflix’ of Africa) which continues to provide multiple distribution networks for Nollywood movies through its IrokoTV app, and its ROK channels on cable networks within and outside Africa. Reports say it’s the world’s largest distributor of African movies. While MultiChoice has made its stance known in South Africa that it wants Netflix to be more closely regulated, we don’t know what IROKO’s demand is or would be. Now that these giants are at war to win the heart of Nollywood and its audience, let sit down, sip a cup of coffee or ice-cream (whatever your preference) and watch things unravel before us. This is a good time to be alive.

Finally and most importantly, because this is very dear to my heart — BUDDING TALENTS. What happens to new and upcoming talents in the industry — screenwriters, actors/actresses, and other crew guys who are just walking their way to the top of the Nollywood ladder? What does Netflix have for them?

I love what Niyi Akomolayan is doing at Anthill Studios, placing a bet on fresh talents. His successful box-office movie, Elevator Baby which was released last year was directed by a first-timer, a young brilliant lad named Akay Mason. Most of the people who worked on the project are young and fresh faces. He is working on a new project with his new army — a team of young energetic, creative, innovative, forward-thinking, outstanding filmmakers whom he has 100 percent faith in. He is opening doors for new folks in the industry. Will Netflix do the same?

There are lots of great minds out there who just need an opportunity to work with the right people and organization(s) and you’ll watch them blossom. I think Netflix should take a chance on these new faces. I’m certain this will change the game entirely.

A good reference is what is currently happening in the music scene — we are seeing a new tribe emerge — Joeboy, Wurld, Tems, Fireboy, Rema, Chike, among others. They have charted a new course for the music industry. The same can happen in Nollywood. We need to see younger writers, directors, producers, actors/actresses, set designers, filmmakers, and among others steal the spotlight. Netflix can make this happen.

Let the war begin!

Olabode Emmanuel Olawumi is an Actor, Writer, Filmmaker and Founder, the OYA COMPANY. He is also the Business Development Analyst for GetUpInc

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This article was first published in Business Day on Sunday, March 1, 2020.