Internationally renowned streaming platform, Netflix has refuted reports suggesting that it plans on leaving Nigeria.
TheNewsGuru.com(TNG) reports that the streaming giant had made its intention to leave Nigeria known, following the recent inflation figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics, highlighting the worsening economic landscape.
Also, renowned Nigerian filmmaker Kunle Afolayan in a now-viral video, disclosed that Netflix had reportedly cancelled several commissioned projects.
“Three years ago, when we signed the three-film deal with Netflix, it was really exciting,” Afolayan said.
Expressing disappointment, the film maker, noted that despite the global success of those films, Netflix appeared dissatisfied with their local returns.
“Thank God we had shot seasons two and three… because all the other people that were commissioned with us at the same time were cancelled,” he added.
However, responding to the speculation via an email sent to Punch, Netflix reiterated its commitment to Nigeria’s burgeoning creative industry.
The Group Account Director, Edafe Onoriode, from Netflix’s public relations agency, Hill and Knowlton Strategies, shared the company’s official position.
“We are not exiting Nigeria. We will continue to invest in Nigerian stories to delight our members,” Netflix spokesperson stated.
It would be recalled that in 2016, Netflix established a significant partnership with Nollywood, enhancing its presence in Nigeria.
This collaboration began with the acquisition of distribution rights for popular films and culminated in the production of original content, such as Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart, the first Nigerian Netflix original.