Iyke Bede
Wanzami TV, a new streaming platform set to disrupt the streaming landscape with its pay-per-view model and no subscription, held its launch recently at the EbonyLife Place, premiering two of its five original productions, ‘Quicksand’ and ‘Those Focking Nigerians.’
A brainchild of Toyin Adebola, CEO of Wanzami Entertainment, Nigeria, Wanzami TV was conceived not only to address the distribution issues filmmakers face but also to provide a means for immediate monetisation of their craft. The idea was born from Adebola’s own experience in 2022, when he produced his debut full-length feature film, ‘Traffick,’ and encountered multiple roadblocks in both distribution and monetising his work.
“We struggled with finding a home for the film because of how difficult it is to get on Netflix, Amazon Prime and all these places. It’s easier to put your film on YouTube, but it’s much harder to monetise your film on YouTube. But after spending the kind of money we spent making ‘Traffick,’ I wanted it to make money. I wanted it at least to make back what we spent on it,” Adebola explained.
He added, “Towards the end of 2023 into 2024, we made a cinema run. I wasn’t quite satisfied with it. And that was when the idea of building a streaming platform came into my mind. I started researching the best way to go about it and the best benefits it should offer the market.”
Adebola explained that his streaming platform levels the playing field for all creatives, especially as the platform is a global one, currently in talks with filmmakers globally to stock its catalogue.
He believes that way, filmmakers are exposed to more eyeballs willing to pay for their exclusive projects. Furthermore, Adebola clarified that the creatives keep a majority of their earnings — a ballpark figure of 70 per cent.
“As of now, people have bought our films in Nigeria and parts of Africa, and they’ve bought our films in America, they’ve bought our films in England, so we have a very wide, global brand. Anybody can buy our film from anywhere in the world. That’s another thing.
We are not limited to Nigeria. We’re offering you a platform that sells your film on the global stage.”
While prioritising creators, he explained that the model gives viewers the rare option of paying only for the content they’re interested in, unlike the traditional subscription model.
The other original works it launched with are ‘Against Creation’ and ‘Ruin.’ Wanzami TV is a web-based streaming platform, with plans for a streaming app before the year runs out.
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