For decades, Nigerian filmmakers had to think about cinemas, television stations, DVDs and distribution networks.
Today, a filmmaker can shoot a movie, upload it and potentially reach millions of Nigerians — and millions of people around the world — without asking a traditional broadcaster for permission.
That platform is YouTube.
And it is becoming increasingly difficult to describe YouTube as simply a place where people watch videos.
For Nigerian entertainment, it is becoming infrastructure.
The audience is already there
Nigeria has one of the world’s largest young populations, and entertainment consumption has increasingly moved online.
A successful YouTube channel can build an audience directly.
Creators can release films, series, comedy, interviews, documentaries and behind-the-scenes content while building a relationship with viewers that traditional television rarely offered.
Creators are becoming media companies
A creator may start with comedy or short videos and eventually develop a production company, cast, writers, editors, brands and original shows.
At that point, the creator isn’t merely producing content. They are building a media company.
The economics are changing
Good cameras, actors, writers, locations, editing and marketing still cost money. But digital distribution changes the equation.
A producer can potentially build an audience before becoming dependent on traditional distribution.
Nollywood’s next phase
Nollywood’s biggest opportunity may not be competing directly with Hollywood. It may be building an enormous global audience for Nigerian stories.
The cinema used to be a building. Increasingly, it is becoming a screen in someone’s hand.
