When Ebonylife TV went live in mid 2013, it sought to be the global network for premium African entertainment. It became Africa’s first global black entertainment network and opened doors of communication between itself and the youth. Four years down the line can it be said to be living up to expectation?
Riding on the heel of the entertainment company’s feats across the four year, Mo Abudu, the unassuming queen of Nigerian TV and film, has been on a one-woman mission to redefine the TV and film space in Nigeria.
Since its inception in 2013, Ebonylife has TV has created and produced over 4,000 hours of original Pan African content has been created and produced by Ebonylife TV. Talk about getting a jump on lost time. Like a postman running late, Ebonylife TV has expedited the process of production backed by a team of highly trained and qualified staff. Within this timeframe, TV series have been dished out to much critical acclaim. The first seasons of On the Real, Sons of the Caliphate, Dere and The Governor have been widely successful leading to an order of second seasons for the aforementioned.
In 2015, Ebonylife TV joined the fray of the movie scene with its first offering titled, Fifty. The movie went on to generate N400million return on investment shattering a litany of records in the process. Dissatisfied by the status quo and unrelenting in the ruthless pursuit of excellence, another movie was released in 2016. The Wedding Party would go on to break even more records, some set by the initial offering. It grossed a whopping N450million from the box office alone earning it the number one spot on the highest grossing Nigerian movies of all time. Both movies have led to much anticipated spinoffs. Fifty, would go on to be adapted for TV as Fifty: The Series, which premiered at the recent Ebonylife Film and TV Festival while a sequel to The Wedding Party is billed to be released December, 2017.
The potential of this precocious four year old might not even be fathomable by the most imaginative of us. Numbers do not lie; Ebonylife TV at four has only released two movies and has grossed nearly N1billion in funds. Maybe we could be talking of Ebonylife TV going toe to toe with global film production outfits in the next ten years or what may be said when Ebonylife TV turns 25 years? Your guess is as good as mine.
However, Ebonylife chose to heighten the celebration of its fourth year anniversary in a very unique way. It treated it guests beyond red carpet to the premieres of its hit TV series such including; On The Real, Sons of the Caliphate, The Governor and Life 101 and Fifty – the series.
From Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Sola Sobowale, Ireti Doyle, Don Jazzy, Tiwa Savage, O.C Ukeje, Innocent and Annie Idibia, Toke Makinwa, Ayo Makun and a host of others, the A-list celebrities who graced the occasion were thrilled by the bourgeoning offerings of the entertainment company.
