The world’s largest online streaming service, Netflix, has announced plans to expand operations in Africa, claiming that its $175 million (£140 million) investment there since 2016 has already produced several successful episodes.
A report on Netflix’s influence in South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya was launched at the same occasion when the news was made, which took place in Johannesburg.
The company, which has reportedly produced 12,000 employment on the continent, plans to expand its success beyond just three nations.
According to the report’s introduction, Netflix’s sub-Saharan Africa policy director, Shola Sanni, “We have undertaken this analysis to reflect on Netflix’s social and economic impact in the main nations.”
“We are still in many ways at the inception stages of our investment journey, so it’s doubly exciting to know that we are poised to deliver even greater impact if we maintain our current momentum – and if the right circumstances for investments in our sector continue to prevail.”
African films like Silverton Siege (South African), Anklápó (Nigerian), and Disconnect: The Wedding Planner (Kenyan) were mentioned as examples of films that had previously made it into Netflix’s Global Top 10 lists.
Netflix needs the assistance of “governments, civic society, the corporate sector, and industry,” according to Ms. Sanni, in order to continue delivering African tales on a global scale.
“Enabling policy frameworks, flexible regulatory mandates and ease of doing business are inextricably bound to the continued growth of the audio-visual sector and streaming services.”
