The advent of video streaming and digital movie distribution platforms has significantly changed the Nigerian film industry. This media invention has largely democratised the filmmaking business and given hitherto struggling and obscure players in the industry an avenue to actualise their goals financially and in the area of creativity and publicity. However, this immense change in the Nigerian movie landscape has not come without its worrying setback. There are concerns that original content and relatable stories that depict the socio-economic reality of Nigeria have been sacrificed for the hot pursuit of the commercial success that these new video streaming platforms bring, and with this success comes the cutthroat competition among players in the industry amid debate over which platform better serves the interests of key stakeholders.
Recently, popular actor, producer and director Kunle Afolayan broached the subject of movie distribution using video streaming platforms. In an interview, former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, chastised Nollywood producers for turning to YouTube as an alternative streaming platform, stating that YouTube can never be on the same level as Netflix and Prime in terms of movie streaming. He, however, admitted that YouTube is a good place to start for beginners and producers who do not have the wherewithal and leverage to get their films on streaming giants such as Netflix and Prime or even in cinemas.
He further asserted that another key factor attracting producers to YouTube is the value of the naira.
Afolayan argued that the reason producers are embracing YouTube is because of the current high dollar-to-naira exchange rate, arguing that they would abandon YouTube if the dollar-to-naira exchange rate crashed.
“Nigerian filmmakers are rushing to YouTube because of the dollar exchange rate. At ₦1,400 to $1, they celebrate 1 million views because it can bring in about $10,000. But if the dollar falls to ₦200, everyone will run away from YouTube. I pray the dollar-to-naira exchange rate comes down,” he added.
Even we are to ignore his superiority claim of Netflix and Prime Time over YouTube, which comes across as a not-so-subtle attempt to denigrate the work of those who use the latter for their work; his assertion that the only reason some producers opt for YouTube is because of the economic reality that the nation, particularly the higher dollar-to-naira exchange rate, is at best simplistic and at worst pedestrian. Such claims reek of a lack of basic understanding of the purchasing power concept and how the economy works.
A steep drop in the naira-to-dollar exchange rate to ₦200 in the hypothetical situation that Afolayan pictured will not necessarily translate to a sharp reduction in the financial rewards that accrue to movie producers who use YouTube for their work or negatively impact the monetary value of their profit. If anything, they gain more, as a relatively strong naira at the exchange rate of ₦200 to a dollar means higher purchasing power and a lower cost of production. Collaborating with foreign actors or even travelling costs for cast and crew reduce as well. To further put things in perspective, if the dollar falls to N200. The things people buy for N15m now will be N3m. So whatever they earn will still have a high purchasing power even if it’s nominally lower.
Also, the notion that producers are opting for YouTube mainly for foreign exchange reasons falls flat in the face of Nigeria’s compelling economic reality. Aside from the restrictive conditions and higher barrier to entry, Netflix and Prime Video do not exactly offer the incentives and perks that YouTube offers to a Nigerian movie producer. With YouTube, these producers are able to get their work to millions of people across the world for free without worrying about the number of paid monthly subscribers from their country or the availability of their work in other parts of the world.
And for a nation with extremely low purchasing power and a price-sensitive populace, YouTube, which anyone with an internet-enabled phone can access for free, will always be the destination for many producers because they will clearly get more viewership on YouTube than on Netflix and Prime Video, which require users to subscribe monthly to access content on the platforms. Nigeria has one of the lowest numbers of paying subscribers for these two video streaming platforms in the world, and when you combine this with the fact that many Nigerian movies on these other two platforms, particularly Netflix, are geographically restricted to certain domains and not available in many countries in Europe, Asia and North America, the choice of YouTube by the producers becomes strategic, logical and prudent.
Getting financially rewarded or profiting from your work on YouTube is also not as smooth, easy and straightforward as Afolayan has made it look. It takes years of effort, honing and fine-tuning your skills and laser-focused consistency. Dumping your work on the platform does not automatically guarantee earnings. For example, a channel has to exist for at least two years, churning out projects consistently and garnering subscribers to earn something from the platform.
The fact that anyone can now showcase their films shouldn’t make established producers lose sleep, excewhen pt there is an effort to gatekeep the industry from others. YouTube doesn’t pay you upfront; the production budget is a gamble. The fact that your movie is good doesn’t guarantee that it would do well on YouTube. Netflix and Prime Video, that invests in the works of heavyweights, are chasing profit the same way YouTube is.
Additionally, it is not exactly as if the works of producers who ply their trade on Netflix and Prime Video are spectacularly different or artistically distinguishable from those who use YouTube. In many instances, movies on these three platforms have struggled to shake off the narrative of shoddiness, tackiness, dearth of creativity and imagination, and general lack of excellence that have become synonymous with Nollywood in recent years. It is not for nothing that Netflix withdrew from funding Nigerian projects last year, citing unconvincing output and lack of value for investment.
Finally, it is noteworthy and poignant to point out to Kunle Afolayan that the popularity and openness of YouTube do not cheapen or detract from the quality of work of the filmmakers who use the platform, and the exclusivity of Netflix and Prime Video does not make the producers who have access to them an arbiter on creative excellence or authorities on artistic discourse.
