The growth of the Nigerian film industry has come under the spotlight ahead of this year’s Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA), slated for Saturday (tomorrow).
The AMVCA, an annual awards ceremony that celebrates the best in African film and television, is organised by MultiChoice. The first AMVCA ceremony took place in 2013.
MultiChoice is a South African-based company that provides subscription television services to many African countries, including Nigeria. The company is known for offering a wide range of television channels, including local and international content. In recent years, MultiChoice has had a significant impact on the Nigerian movie market, with the company investing heavily in local productions and promoting Nigerian talent.
One of the ways that MultiChoice has impacted the Nigerian movie market is through its investment in local productions. In 2018, the company announced that it would be investing N2 billion (approximately $5.5 million) in the Nigerian movie industry over the next three years. The aim of this investment was to create more original Nigerian content and to support the growth of the local film industry.
“Sub-Saharan Africa is home to over 1 billion people, and we have an unrivalled footprint across 50 markets. As electrification, connectivity and digital banking increase, and a growing, urbanising middle class enjoys rising discretionary spend, the continent represents a compelling addressable market,” the company said in a report.
Read also: MultiChoice Talent Factory alumni bag multiple nominations at AMVCA 9 awards
The impact of MultiChoice’s investment in the Nigerian movie industry can be seen in the number of AMVCA awards won by local productions. In 2018, out of the 27 categories at the AMVCA, Nigerian productions won 19 awards. In 2020, Nigerian productions won 16 out of the 27 categories. These numbers demonstrate the growing success of the Nigerian movie industry, which has been fueled in part by MultiChoice’s investment in the sector.
One of the most successful Nigerian productions in recent years is the TV series ‘Tinsel,’ which is produced by MultiChoice’s Africa Magic channel. The show, which premiered in 2008, has become one of the most popular TV series in Nigeria after airing for more than 15 seasons and has won several awards, including multiple AMVCA awards. The success of ‘Tinsel’ has helped to showcase the talent of Nigerian actors, writers, and producers, and has helped to raise the profile of the Nigerian movie industry as a whole.
The company said it remains focused on core entertainment business and building broader platforms to address customer needs.
“We create, acquire, license, curate, aggregate and package a unique mix of programming to deliver the best in local and international general entertainment and sports content ‘anywhere, anytime’. We are looking to expand beyond entertainment by leveraging our scale and reach, trusted brand, technology, unique consumer insights, deep local knowledge and unmatched experience on the continent,” it said.
In a 2022 report, the cable TV platform said their next-generation connected devices allow them to offer customers with third-party SVOD services to complement their own line-up. “Local streaming platforms like ‘Showmax’ have given customers a wider range of options for subscribers who don’t want to miss out on existing shows and would want to view them at their convenience.”
MultiChoice has also been instrumental in promoting the production of high-quality Nigerian content. In 2019, the company launched the MultiChoice Talent Factory, which is a training programme for aspiring filmmakers. The programme aims to provide young filmmakers with the skills and knowledge needed to create high-quality productions. As part of the programme, MultiChoice has also provided funding for the production of several short films, which have been showcased at various film festivals around the world.
However, there are critics who argue that the company’s sponsorship of the AMVCA awards has created a situation where only productions that are broadcast on MultiChoice’s channels are considered for awards.
This argument has since been floored as the best movie categories over the years since 2013 have been from different movie productions. The nominations for this year’s award are all dominated with other movie productions such as Filmone, KAP, Greoh Studios to name a few.
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