As 2024 deepens into its final month, Nigerian media company Nile Media Entertainment Group, still less than a year old, is making its mark within (and even outside) the African cinema ecosystem with aspirations that span continents. Under the leadership of industry veteran Moses Babatope, Nile Entertainment has been aggressive with its initial initiatives, strategic partnerships, and high-profile theatrical releases.
With the international distribution of projects like “The Uprising: Wives on Strike,” “Everybody Loves Jenifa,” and the Ojaja Cinemas partnership, to name a few, Nile Entertainment is attempting something that hasn’t quite been accomplished before in the African context: integrating initiatives uncommon across Africa’s fragmented cinematic landscape under one entity; from multiregional theatrical releases bridging the language divide, and infrastructure development via screen expansion, to global positioning of Nollywood films, and efforts to standardize market data reporting.
A colleague recently said of Babatope, “He’s moving like a man who has a lot to prove.” He might be right. Consequently, the challenges, stakes, and reality of these ambitions warrant a closer look.
On December 12, 2024, Akoroko Premium subscribers received my analysis of Nile Entertainment’s efforts to test and expand Nollywood’s global reach, while addressing infrastructure gaps and challenges like transparency and competition at home and abroad.
To receive the piece and much more, subscribe at the link: https://akoroko.com/subscribe/