EbonyLife Lands Multiple Deal with Netflix

EbonyLife Lands Multiple Deal with Netflix

By Vanessa Obioha

The Founder of EbonyLife TV and Films, Mo Abudu, announced on Instagram, Friday morning that her company has inked a multiple deal with the global streamer Netflix.

The media mogul enthusiastically wrote that her production company has officially become the first African and first Nigerian to achieve that feat.

“The deal signed by EbonyLife with Netflix is unprecedented and groundbreaking on our continent,” she wrote on Instagram.

In a report by international magazine Variety which broke the news, the deal will see EbonyLife creating two original series as well as other branded films and series.

A major highlight of the deal is a film adaptation of Wole Soyinka’s ‘Death and the King’s Horseman,’ and a series based on Lola Shoneyin’s best-selling debut novel, ‘The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives.’

The publication also reported that one of the unnamed projects in the new deal will premiere this year.

Last February, Netflix announced its interest in making original content in Nigeria with fanfare. A Netflix Naija Twitter account was launched as well as a series of titles commissioned to veteran director Akin Omotoso. But with the coronavirus pandemic affecting most productions, the production was halted.

The launch in Nigeria also coincided with the release of the first African original series on the platform, the South African spy series ‘Queen Sono’.

“Mo is at the forefront of creative storytelling in African television,” says Dorothy Ghettuba, Netflix’s head of African Originals. “Her passion for creating high-quality, riveting multi-genre films and TV shows that capture the imagination while showcasing the diversity and richness of Nigerian culture is evident in her impressive body of work.

“It truly is time to tell our stories and I am super pleased that we have an opportunity to do this now in partnership with the world’s leading internet entertainment service with 183 million paid members in over 190 countries. We really are truly changing the narrative and I’m so grateful,” Abudu said.

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