With the streaming slowdown, more films have made their way into cinemas, but we’ve intentionally watched fewer of them as a form of quality control and resource management. Also, much has been said about the possible causes of Netflix slowdown in Nigeria, but very little on what the slowdown actually looks like.
To paint a picture of the streaming slowdown coupled with the geo-blocking of the few available titles, this time last year, about nine Nigerian films had already debuted on Netflix. This year? Just five (Lisabi 2, Ada Omo Daddy, Baby Farm, A Lagos Love Story, and The Party).
With no clear communication by Netflix, very little in their activity hints at their overall strategy in Nollywood. White Netflix wants to be known internationally for the gourmet cheeseburger model, “offering something ‘premium and commercial at the same time,’” what is guiding their choices and direction in Nigeria?
Looking at the titles released so far in 2025 compared to the same period in 2024 along with the key contexts surrounding them, maybe a clearer picture emerges.
If we don’t get frequent official updates from them, we can always try to decipher a pattern, that’s if one even exists. If you spot a strategy, join the conversation in the comments or on socials.
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Ten Netflix Nigeria Releases in the First Half of 2024
Post-theatrical licence (5):
- Adire (FilmOne’s first original, strongly backed by them. Screened at Fame Week 2023 in South Africa and teased something different. Key cast: Kehinde Bankole, Funlola Aofiyebi, Femi Branch, Yvonne Jegede. Directed by Adeoluwa Owu.)
- Merry Men 3 (Distributed by FilmOne. A blockbuster franchise sequel led by Ayo Makun—pure franchise power. Key cast: Sam Dede, Bucci Franklin, Ramsey Nouah, Nadia Buari, and Chidi Mokeme in a theatrical return following his Shanty Town comeback in 2023.)
- Afamefuna (Distributed by FilmOne. Kayode Kasum’s culturally attuned drama with an ensemble cast. A crowd favourite at AFRIFF and in cinemas. Key cast: Kanayo O. Kanayo, Stan Nze, Alexx Ekubo, Bridget Johnson. Also featured rising stars like Paul Nnadiekwe and Chuks Joseph, who returns after Dark October and Madam Koi Koi.)
- Strained (Distributed by FilmOne. From Okechukwu Oku, whose Black Rose was a past Netflix audience hit. Key cast: Padita Agu, Tracey George, Queen Nwokoye.)
- Dinner (Originally released in 2016, this marks its first major wide rollout. Directed by the Madam Koi Koi director, whose folktale two-parter series had dropped on Netflix via FilmOne in late 2023.)
Direct-to-Netflix licence (2):
- One Too Many (Distributed by Blue Pictures. A quiet social justice drama by Kayode Kasum, starring Dakore Egbuson-Akande and Chimezie Imo. Geo-blocked.)
- Shina (Distributed by Blue Pictures. A crime drama led and executive produced by Timini Egbuson. Cast also includes Linda Ejiofor, Tope Tedela, Akin Lewis. Directed by Muyiwa Adesokun and Carmen Ike Okoro. A FilmTrybe (Kasum’s company) production. Geo-blocked.)
Originals (3) – all TV series:
- Anikulapo: Rise of the Spectre (Kunle Afolayan’s 6-episode period piece, an expansion of the original film. According to him, this was always the intended format. Two more seasons are already teased.)
- Postcards (A cross-cultural series by Namaste Wahala creator Hamisha Aruja. Key cast: Sola Sobowale, RMD, Tobi Bakre, Rahama Sadau. 6 episodes.)
- Oloture: The Journey (Ebonylife’s sequel series to its globally talked-about 2019 film on trafficking. 3 episodes.)
Now, in 2025: Only Five Titles (All Geo-blocked)
Post-theatrical licence (1):
- Ada Omo Daddy (Distributed by Cinemax. Mercy Aigbe’s December 2023 blockbuster. Key cast: Omowunmi Dada, Tayo Faniran, Mercy Aigbe, Sola Sobowale.)
Direct-to-Netflix licence (2):
- The Party (An ensemble whodunnit 3-episode series backed by Cinemax. Key cast: Eva Ibiam, Kelechi Udegbe, Yomi Fash Lanso, Femi Branch, Bimbo Manuel, Shaffy Bello.)
- A Lagos Love Story (A surprise early year offering from Inkblot, who have been notably absent from cinemas so far this year. Their first Netflix title since Far From Home series. Also on Prime Video in some territories (UK, US, Canada, France, Brazil, Australia, Spain, Mexico). Key cast: Jemima Osunde, Mike Afolarin, Kalu Ikeagwu, Linda Ejiofor. Directed by Naz Onuzo.)
Originals (2):
- Lisabi 2 (Announced as a two-parter; Part one of the Yoruba epic film dropped late last year.)
- Baby Farm (An Ebonylife project on a topical baby factory subject. Key cast: Onyinye Odokoro, Joseph Benjamin, Rita Dominic, Folu Storms, and Genoveva Umeh. 5 episodes.)
The data above is based on our internal tracking from over the years. That said, while there’s a chance one or two titles may have been missed, what is stated still captures most of the titles.
So, first half of 2025 compared to the first six months of 2024, the number of releases has been slashed in half. The most notable shift? The data suggests Netflix is currently deprioritising Nollywood’s cinema-to-streaming pipeline. With only one post-theatrical title (Ada Omo Daddy) so far in 2025, Netflix appears less willing to invest in content that has already had a domestic theatrical run. This has been a huge dent, as filmmakers target the streaming path to recover costs, given how tough it is to make money from solely doing the cinema route.
Moreover, 2025 so far has seen more Cinemax-distributed titles and no FilmOne-distributed title yet, which makes sense since FilmOne remains the industry’s biggest distributor, and Netflix has clearly slowed down on acquiring those theatrical titles. This shows their openness to smaller distributors, potentially reducing reliance on a dominant player like FilmOne. With just six months gone, an end of the year report will tell a more concrete story on their dealings with partners.
When we go two years back further, which is possibly the peak streaming year, the first half of 2023 had about 19 Nollywood titles on Netflix, mostly distributed by FilmOne. Post-theatrical titles (10) such as The Wait, Before Valentine’s, A Simple Lie, The Order of Things, Passport, Obara’M, Ijakumo, Strangers, Ijakumo and Yahoo+. Direct to streaming titles (8) like Dark October, Jolly Roger, Here Love Lies, All Na Vibes, AY: Spotting The Difference, SLK’s Teetotaler, A Lot Like Love, and Finding Fela. And originals (2) included Shanty Town and A Sunday Affair. The Nigerian titles from 2023 could rise to 20 if we add African Folktales Reimagined multi-country anthology. From about 19 titles in the first half of 2023 to 10 in the first half of 2024 and 5 in the first half of 2025, the cut has been sequentially coming in halves.
This drastic drop signals a move away from the quantity play of earlier years, when Netflix was aggressively acquiring to establish market presence—towards a more cautious, perhaps cost-efficient model.
It’s almost impossible to compile a similar list for Prime Video because of a bulk licensing dump that occurred last year, making it difficult to track titles more accurately.
As we enter the second half of the year, the question now is: what’s the strategy moving forward, especially as Netflix appears to be lurking in the background, but proceeding more slowly and deliberately? Still, they remain the widest exhibitor of Nigerian films, most enjoyed by Nigerians in the diaspora as a post-theatrical pathway.
Some major theatrical titles audiences are still hoping to see: Kanaani, Daddy, Meeting Funmi’s Parents, Love, Lust & Other Things, Ajosepo and Domitilla: The Sequel (originally announced for Netflix in late 2024 but quietly pulled back).
Again, is there a pattern in their choice of projects? Is Netflix experimenting? Or is it all random? Baby Farm is now available in some territories after an initial geoblocking. Will others follow? If so, what determines the rollout?
On the bright side, filmmakers won’t push formulaic films through the pipeline with solely streaming in mind.
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