'We wan be first' - How Showmax and Netflix dey boost streaming for Africa

Inside di trailer of Youngins, di new high school drama from streaming platform Showmax wey dey cause tension, one scene show one new student wey dey collect serious warning from one teacher.

“Di rules dey simple: sex no dey allowed."

Di rest of di teaser sharpaly shift to one high-spirited, dramatic montage of teenagers wey dey do di exact opposite - rebel against authority and dey catch fun at di same time.

Youngins na one of 21 new original African shows wey dey air on Showmax for February. E don generate plenti interest online, wit hundreds of mentions ontop social media.

Dis project na part of Showmax ambitious strategy to increase dia market share for di subscription video-on-demand sector for Africa.

“Di investment na for billions of rands,”Showmax chief executive Marc Jury tok.

E tok say Showmax parent company, Multichoice Group, get one ambitious goal to expand dia consumer base to 50 million by 2028. "And most of dat growth go come from Showmax. Our ambition na to become di first streaming platform for Africa,” Oga Jury add.

Oda global streaming giants, like Amazon Prime, dey reducE investments for Africa and don cut jobs on di continent as part of one restructuring to focus on di European market. But local provider Showmax dey do di opposite: Dem dey speed up production and improve dia range of video content wey dey tailor-made for African audiences.

Dem go launch more dan 1,300 hours of Showmax Original programming ova di next 12 months. Dis one represent 150% increase for production compare to di year bifor.

NBC Universal Peacock streaming technology dey helep wit di new launch, and di company don partner wit mobile phone service provider MTN South Africa to make streaming services dey more accessible through data plan offers .

Among Showmax new series wey pipo dey expect most na Red Ink, wey dem create wit Bomb Productions, di company wey dey behind di Oscar-nominated film Mandela.

E also get one 10-episode crime series wey dem call Catch Me a Killer, e star Game of Thrones actress Charlotte Hope. Dis series bin base on South Africa first serial killer profiler.

African talent

For 2015 pan-African entertainment company MultiChoice bin launch Showmax , na dem also own one of di continent largest pay TV operators, DStv.

E dey operate for 44 sub-Saharan kontries and produce original series for three main markets: South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya. Di streaming broadcaster go unveil dia first original series from Ethiopia and Tanzania later dis year.

Unlike international streaming companies wey dey operate di African branches of companies wey base abroad, Showmax dey rooted for African life and culture.

Youngins director Themba Mfebe tok say di streaming platform productions emphasize African authenticity.

“We don dey really get to di heart of di different cultures of South Africa - e dey very beautiful to see no be say only black bodies wey represent on screen, but also South African bodies.

"E feel like say na my neighbor kid, my sister kid. Na like say I sabi dis pipo. And most of di time, dem dey speak South African languages ", e add.

“Dis streaming platforms don create one channel wey allow us to fully educate pipo abroad and for our continent...about African culture and di diversity of Africa,” Kealeboga Masango, wey play di role of di main girl for di soap opera tok.

MultiChoice dey helep African artists tell authentic African stories through one 12-month educational program wey provide young television and film talent wit hand-on industry experience.

“Wen I bin start, na di first year den,” Mfebe tok.

“I be camera assistant and bin learn from all di different departments. I bin also meet many pipo wey I still dey work wit today for di industry.

Dis African approach to storytelling and professional development within di industry come be like say e reason wit local audiences.

For 2022, nine out of ten most streamed titles by Showmax for Ghana all dey produced for Africa. For Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria, di majority of di top 10 most streamed titles also dey produced for Africa.

To add to Showmax, im competitor Netflix dey ​​regularly expand im presence for di video streaming market for Africa.

Between 2016 and 2022, di company bin invest $175 million (£139 million) for South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya. For Nigeria, Netflix bin invest $23.6 million (£18.6 million) to acquire 283 licensed titles and commission three original series.

Netflix don acquire and exclusively release Nigerian thriller Di Black Book, wey become di first Nigerian film wey reach number three on Netflix global chart.

Na ova 20 million bin watch di film for im first few weeks and make am to Netflix top 10 for ova 69 kontries.

Netflix tok say dem don create around 12,000 jobs on di continent and get plans to kontinu to invest for local creative economies and support more African storytellers.

“We get plan to reach more kontries on di continent,” Shola Sanni, Netflix policy director for sub-Saharan Africa tok.

“We still dey, for many ways, for di early stage of our investment journey, and so na double excitment to sabi say we dey sure to make even greater impact if we maintain our current momentum.”

But streaming technology fit face challenges for African markets.

“E no too get many plans, and one single movie dey consume plenti data,” Ivan Biljan, head of demand generation for UniqCast, one video streaming company tok.

“If you need pay by di megabyte, you constantly dey under pressure.

According to Biljan, di lack of affordable and reliable broadband access and internet piracy also be serious wahala for companies wey wan sell video on demand.

However, he dey hopeful about di future of streaming on di continent:

"I tink say di future dey bright for Africa sake of say e get plenti tins wey oda markets, like Europe and America, no get. For years to come, Africa go get 400 to 500 million new customers, young and tech-savvy, wey be all new potential users and subscribers,” e tok.

Masango, di Youngins actress, gree say di future dey bright for streaming African content.

“Di public dey enjoy our African stories and plenti pipo dey interested in us. Nobody dey tell stories like South Africans – dem dey fresh, unique, vibrant and different.