Intelligence on African Film, Television, and Digital Media Markets
Real-time reporting, deep analysis, and structured data on African film, television, and digital media markets — used by producers, distributors, financiers, festival programmers, and research institutions.
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Wednesday, April 22, 2026
PremiumMorocco's New Cinema Law Lands as the Continent Continues to Rewrite Its Film Rulebook
Morocco has enacted four ministerial orders completing the legal framework under Law No. 18.23 on the cinematographic industry. The orders, published in Official Bulletin No. 7496 on 2 April 2026, cover production support, co-production criteria, cinema classification, and the reorganisation of the Centre Cinématographique Marocain.
PremiumMarché du Film 2026: Africa's Conference Presence
The full Marché du Film 2026 conference schedule is live. Here are all the African-connected sessions, by day — from Focus on Africa to the WIFT Africa delegation, the Muganga case study, Arab Cinema Center panels, and two Yetu Unlimited events outside the official programme.
PremiumNetflix Touts "Member Quality" Engagement Metric + An AI Push That Touches Everything
Netflix's Q1 2026 earnings call introduced a new internal engagement metric — "member quality" — while signalling an AI integration strategy that the company says now touches content discovery, production tools, and customer experience. This report examines what both developments mean for African content on the platform.
PremiumWhat 18,912 Articles Show About How African Film Was Covered in Q1 2026
A quantitative analysis of 18,912 articles published about African film in the first quarter of 2026 reveals patterns in geographic focus, genre coverage, and the outlets driving the conversation — with implications for how the industry understands its own visibility.
PremiumWhat Are We Really Saying When We Say There Is "No Data" on African Film Activity?
The phrase 'no data' is frequently invoked in discussions of African cinema, but a closer examination reveals that data often exists — it is scattered, inaccessible, or simply not being looked for in the right places. This report interrogates what the claim really means and what it obscures.
PremiumCannes 2026: Africa's Strongest Decade at the Festival and Market Keeps Moving
Africa enters Cannes 2026 with its strongest presence in the festival's history, building on a decade of growing selection, co-production deals, and market activity that has repositioned the continent as a significant force in international cinema.
PremiumSouth African Market Canal+ Just Bought Was Weaker Than It Looked — New Government Report
A new South African government report reveals the pay-TV market Canal+ acquired through its MultiChoice takeover was in steeper decline than publicly disclosed, with subscriber losses and revenue contraction raising fresh questions about the deal's strategic rationale.
PremiumWhat Google Maps Can Tell Us About How Africans Watch Films
Google Maps data on cinema locations across Africa reveals patterns in how and where Africans access film exhibition infrastructure — and what the gaps tell us about the continent's broader screen economy.
PremiumWeekly Wrap-Up: April 6–April 12, 2026
This week's dispatch covers the latest developments across African film, television, and digital media markets, including policy announcements, industry partnerships, and market trends shaping the continent's creative economy.
PremiumNamibia's New 'Film and Creative City' Plan Comes With Rare Official Film Sector Data
Namibia has announced a new 'Film and Creative City' initiative as part of its broader Vision 2030 development strategy. The announcement includes rare official film sector data that provides insights into the country's production landscape and growth potential.
PremiumGhana's Film Authority Tours Abandoned Cinemas in Push to Revive Exhibition Infrastructure
Ghana's National Film Authority is conducting tours of abandoned cinema facilities across the country as part of a broader initiative to revive the nation's theatrical exhibition infrastructure. The effort reflects growing recognition of cinema's role in supporting local film distribution and audience development.
PremiumFive Years After the Seminal UNESCO Report — An Update
Five years after the UNESCO report on African cinema, new data and developments have reshaped the landscape. This update examines how the continent's film sector has evolved, what has changed, and what remains to be addressed in African cinema's ongoing development.
PremiumMultiChoice Puts a Number on Its South African Content Obligation: R20.6 Billion Over Three Years
MultiChoice has announced a R20.6 billion investment commitment over three years to meet its South African local content obligations. The announcement provides clarity on the company's financial commitment to supporting local production and reflects ongoing regulatory pressure in the region.
PremiumFrench-Speaking Belgium Deepens Africa Ties, Per 2025 Report
The Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel (CCA), the public institution that funds and promotes film and audiovisual production in French-speaking Belgium, recorded several new connections with African countries in 2025, according to its annual report. The developments include a formal co-production treaty with Côte d'Ivoire, ongoing negotiations with the DRC, and exploratory analysis of a potential agreement with Benin.
PremiumMapping Africa's Co-Production Treaty Landscape
Our April 2026 updated 54-country registry documents each country's level of activity, confirms agreement-level arrangements, separately verifies official non-treaty cooperation agreements, and identifies gaps where no official record has yet to be located. 21 African countries have confirmed official agreement-level film or audio-visual co-production status, plus two with separately confirmed official non-treaty cooperation instruments.
PremiumWeekly Wrap-Up: March 29–April 5, 2026
A contemplative week thinking deeply about where we are in the evolution of African film, television, and digital media activity across the continent. Updates on African Screen Intelligence beta testing, AFP Dispatch development, and the week's dispatches.
PremiumAbou Sangaré and the Gap Between a César and a Career
Abou Sangaré's César Award represents a milestone recognition for African cinema, yet the gap between award recognition and sustained career opportunity remains significant. This report examines what the César means for Sangaré and what it reveals about the broader ecosystem for African filmmakers seeking international visibility and career advancement.
PremiumNigeria Just Announced Another Creative Sector Fund. What Is the €100 Million For?
Over the past two years, Nigeria's federal government has announced multiple creative-sector funding and infrastructure plans, often with large headline figures and limited public follow-through. A new Instagram announcement from the culture ministry has now added another €100 million figure to that picture. What is it actually for?
PremiumHow a New Burkinabè Political Series Was Put Together — Watch Episode 1
TV5MONDE began rolling out "Une femme à Kosyam" across its African service on March 8, 2026. Based on official source material, the Burkinabè political thriller received at least €160,000 in publicly identified francophone support before launch. This dispatch traces the financing structure — from a 2019 CNC grant to a TV5MONDE pre-buy — and what it reveals about how locally produced francophone African series get packaged.
PremiumAfter Billions Spent: What It Takes to Succeed in African Streaming
Canal+ walked away from Showmax. MultiChoice lost over R10bn. iROKOtv burned through $100m. This dispatch strips the emotion from the story and looks strictly at the financials — why the streaming math breaks in Africa, and what a more durable path might look like.
PremiumCanal+, StarTimes, and the African Television Market After Showmax: A New Baseline
With Showmax gone, Canal+ and StarTimes now define the pay-TV landscape across sub-Saharan Africa. This dispatch maps Canal’s production infrastructure, its Francophone subscriber base, the StarTimes footprint, and what the field looks like after the continent’s most-watched streaming platform shuts down.
PremiumKenya Moves to Regulate Eight Years of Unlicensed Film Production by June
The Kenya Film Classification Board has issued a 90-day amnesty — March 4 to June 4 — for filmmakers to submit works produced since 2018 that have not met licensing and classification requirements. Non-compliant films face a ban on all domestic distribution and exhibition.
The Showmax Shutdown: Confusion, Reaction, Clarification
The Canal+ takeover brings the platform to an end. Industry reaction spreads from Nairobi to Lagos — confusion, frustration, and a creeping sense that the closure is part of a larger structural breakdown. AFP partners respond.
PremiumCanal+ Moves to Shut Down Showmax After Years of Losses
Subscribers were told March 5 that Showmax will close 'in the near future' following a Canal+ review of its streaming operations. No specific date has been given. Service continues uninterrupted for now.
PremiumHow Comscore Measures African Box Office: Nine Countries, Seven Years, No Expansion
Since March 2019, Comscore has tracked box office receipts in nine African countries. Seven years on, that footprint has not grown. This dispatch maps exactly which exhibitors report, which countries are covered, and — critically — which are not.
PremiumJoburg Film Festival 2026: Opening Day Overview — Programme, Industry Platform, and Context
770 submissions. 60 films. A three-day industry market. The Joburg Film Festival opens today — this is your complete guide to the programme, the industry platform, and the context in which this edition arrives.
PremiumParrot Analytics Is Bringing Its Global Measurement Tools to African Cinema for the First Time
Parrot Analytics, whose demand measurement tools are used by every major streaming platform, is applying its methodology to African cinema for the first time — in anticipation of Next Narrative Africa Fund's forthcoming landscape study.
PremiumCanal+ Brass on Outlasting Amazon and Netflix in Africa (Addendum)
OTT penetration under 5%, limited fibre, weak competition. Canal+ executives describe the structural conditions they believe give the company a durable advantage over Amazon and Netflix in sub-Saharan Africa.
PremiumDistribution & Sales Report: African & Diaspora Films at the 2026 Berlinale
After Berlinale 2026, who actually has deals? A territory-by-territory breakdown of African and diaspora films in the market — mapping each title by country of origin, sales agent, and confirmed territory.
Premium"Paradise" (Berlinale Review): Two Fatherless Boys, One Scam, and a Film Still Finding Its Shape
Ten years in the making, Jérémy Comte's first feature has formal control and real ambition. Two fatherless boys, one intercontinental scam, and a structure that doesn't always hold.
PremiumHaroun and Kamilindi Among Winners at Berlinale 2026 Independent Jury Awards
From Chad to Rwanda, Zimbabwe to South Africa: African storytellers take Independent Jury awards at Berlinale 2026, with a wider geographic spread than any previous edition.
PremiumSata Cissokho Eyes Greater Support for African Filmmakers as New Berlinale World Cinema Fund Chief
Equity-only funding could lock out African filmmakers entirely, Cissokho says. In her first extended interview since taking the WCF helm, she argues that public backing is not a subsidy — it is a prerequisite.
Premium"Soumsoum, The Night of the Stars" (Berlinale Review): Haroun's Mythic Return to Chad
Two women share a secret language of foresight in a world determined to silence them. Haroun's mythic return to Chad has the formal control of his best work — but the spell it casts in its first hour is not fully sustained.
PremiumSouleymane Cissé, One Year On: The Unfinished Work
Cissé fought censorship, scarcity, and indifference. One year after his death, those battles outlive him. This dispatch takes stock of what he left behind — and what remains to be done.
PremiumMorocco–Senegal Reopen 1992 Co-Production Treaty at Berlinale 2026
One of the continent's older co-production agreements enters modernization talks. Morocco and Senegal used the Berlinale as the venue for initial discussions on revising a treaty that has not been substantially updated in over three decades.
PremiumAfrican Films After EFM 2026: 24 Titles, 17 Countries, and a Market Still Unevenly Accessed
France partnered on 10 of the 24 African projects screened at EFM 2026. This dispatch maps the full slate, identifies which titles attracted buyer interest, and examines what the distribution patterns reveal about access to the market.
"I think cinema is needed throughout Africa because we are lagging behind in the knowledge of our own history."
— Ousmane Sembène
Akoroko is an intelligence platform covering African and diaspora film, television, and digital media. Led by Tambay Obenson, it provides reporting, market analysis, and structured data used by producers, distributors, financiers, festival programmers, researchers, and institutions working across African and diaspora screen sectors.
Its work combines journalism, market intelligence, and data analysis — tracking projects, companies, funding activity, distribution, exhibition, policy decisions, and other market developments across Africa and its global connections. Akoroko is part of African Film Press (AFP), a publishing, research, and intelligence organization established in 2024.
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