Kike Moronkeji is the CEO of Gidi Box Office, a new streaming and distribution platform that offers convenient access to cinematic Nigerian movies from anywhere in the world. In this interview, Kike explains the inspiration behind this new innovation and how it aims to give international recognition to Nigerian content. She believes that Online video consumption will grow rapidly. Excerpts
Tell us about Gidi Box Office and the vision behind it?
Gidi Box Office showcases premium content from Nollywood’s silver screens, alongside Nigerian movies making debuts at International Film Festivals. We are centred around providing the global community with top quality Nollywood films. The available content is broad and covers a wide Nollywood range of features such as dramas, series, short films, comedies, inspirational moments, classics and so much more. Currently, Nollywood is one of the fastest growing film industries in the world and represents the largest film industry on the African continent, alongside Hollywood and Bollywood. Gidi Box Office serves as the ideal portal for immersing one’s self in this world of expansive entertainment. The opportunity this platform offers, is a well-balanced ecosystem that provides an outlet for the content provider and a rich source of African stories for the viewers. The outcome of this fine balance, serves the purpose of heightening your viewing pleasure, maximising options and tapping into a huge diaspora community. Our goal at Gidi Box Office is to establish a standard and world-class Nollywood video streaming services platform that will accommodate users from all across the world.
Does the platform stream just Nollywood movies?
For now, yes. Gidi Box Office’s main offering is a Subscription Video on Demand service streaming platform of specially curated Nollywood titles.
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What would you say has caused an increase in the demand for Nollywood movies worldwide?
The growth of the online viewing audience is driven by both growing internet penetration and the availability of increasingly capacious broadband networks (both fixed and mobile) capable of transmitting high-quality video. This growth is occurring in both developed and developing countries, with Africa projected to see significant growth in Subscription Video On Demand services as the nascent market continues to mature. The interest and increase in appetite for Nollywood content is because of the increase in our production values, art direction, improvement in script construction, continuity, well developed plots brought to life by actors that respect their craft, to name a few. There is obviously so much more that can be credited to this surge in interest in Nollywood content. All this did not happen overnight and we have our legends in the industry to thank for all their hard work in laying the foundation that we will continue to build upon.
What’s the major difference between Gidi Box Office and other streaming platforms?
I would say that the major difference between Gidi Box Office and other streaming platforms is our unique approach to streaming and distribution. In recent years, online video consumption has grown rapidly and it is projected to continue on that upward trajectory over the next several years. The fastest growth is expected in the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. This growth in Africa would lead to the production of more quality Nollywood content. With this in view, there is no doubt that the industry is extremely competitive, which is why we are clear in our objectives that the diaspora is our target audience. We aim to bridge the gap in the market by solving the problem of limited access to direct cinematic Nollywood content for diaspora audiences. Our objective is on servicing the diaspora, which is anywhere between 5-15 million people and expected to increase to about 25 million by 2026. In focusing on our objective, we also address the challenge of limited distribution opportunities for filmmakers and content creators. We will keep evolving and bringing new features to our platform to ensure our customers have a smooth and seamless viewing experience.
How can content creators get their work on the platform?
It’s as simple as contacting our team at Gidi Box Office. We receive a lot of interest from filmmakers looking to show their movies on our platform. Equally, we also reach out to filmmakers with films that we believe are the right fit for our platform. We ask that filmmakers that would like to have their movies on our platform email us at [email protected] with a trailer of their movie, stating whether it is a cinema film, made for TV film or a series. Gidi Box Office also offers a space for new upcoming independent filmmakers, to tell their stories and display their art. As the Nollywood movie industry continues to grow, Gidi Box Office keeps the focus on telling ‘Our’ authentic stories, ensuring that we are seen and heard on our own terms by the wider global community.
Will there be some form of remuneration for the creators/producers?
Absolutely. We have two remuneration packages: the first is that a license fee is paid for content and the second is that the filmmaker is paid based on the performance and number of streams their movie generates on our platform – this will take the form of a ‘pay per hour’ payment model. With respect to the license fee payment model, this will be a one-off payment based on the duration of the license. The second payment model, which is the ‘pay per hour’ option provides the filmmaker an opportunity to earn revenue each month for as long as their content is on our platform.
How can one pay and subscribe to the platform?
Go to www.GidiBoxOffice.com and click on any of the ‘Watch Now’ or ‘Sign Up Here’ buttons to be directed to the order page. Select your subscription of choice and make your payment. We accept payments from debit/credit cards, as well as PayPal payments – it’s that simple!
What are the different plans available? Is there a family plan?
Currently, there are two plans on our platform: a monthly subscription plan for as little as $4.99 (N2,070) or a yearly subscription, which costs $53.89 and includes a 10% discount. Your subscription plan will give you access to our unlimited Box Office movies, Drama series, TV dramas and short films. You will also enjoy our new additions, as we endeavour to have new features added on our platform regularly. We also offer a simple and flexible payment plan, which means that you may cancel your subscription at any time, no stress, no hassle.
