An episode of Shuga, a popular soap opera set
in Kenya, is playing on a screen at the offices of iRoko TV - an online
platform commonly dubbed the "Netflix of Africa". In a corner of the
room, facing the rest of the operation and separated by a glass partition, sits
Jason Njoku, the company's founder.
Born and brought up in London, Mr Njoku is now Lagos-based and building
what is proving to be a revolutionary tool, as Nollywood - Nigeria's Hollywood
- moves on from DVD to digital platforms.
Since 2011, iRokoTV has racked up millions of views, its founder says,
"connecting African films with fans globally" with its huge online
catalogue. The company pays filmmakers about $10,000 (£5,900) to $25,000 for
the digital rights to stream their content for a period of time.
In fact, Jason Njoku says the group spends $3m-$4m a year on licensing
and producing content, hoping to make back the money in two to three years. Subscribers
pay a monthly fee of $8 with unlimited access to movies from around Africa on
the iRoko TV platform, although most productions come from Nigeria and Ghana.
