Sony Pictures Television has agreed to a two-year deal with EbonyLife Media for exclusive scripted TV series.
The two media companies have been working on a co-production of an action drama focusing on the female Dahomey warriors since 2018. First-look images or a teaser would have been perfect with this new relationship update between the two establishments.
While EbonyLife ended its exclusivity deal with DSTV last year, this agreement with Sony Pictures, alongside other minor deals with Netflix, provides the company with multiple platforms to get content out to viewers on a global scale which guarantees returns, critically and financially.
Did I also mention the announced deals with AMC which was announced last year and the production of Desperate Housewives Africa with Disney?
The Nigeria-based company has a number of films on Netflix already, such as, Fifty and The Royal Hibiscus Hotel. The media company also entered a multi series deal with Netflix last year. This deal should birth the production of Death and the King’s Horseman, a play by Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka, and a series based on Lola Shoneyin’s best-selling debut novel, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives.
According to Deadline, Mo Abudu’s press release said: “Taking African storytelling to global audiences is something we are very passionate about, and this new opportunity with Sony gives us a chance to reach massive audiences worldwide with our scripted TV series. So get ready – we are coming to entertain and thrill you!”
The media company, owned by Mo Abudu, is behind titles like Chief Daddy, The Wedding Party, and Your Excellency which Netflix also acquired rights to for distribution in certain regions.
We can only wonder how these multiple deals would play out concurrently. For what it’s worth, it is a win for Nollywood.
We discussed the future of cinema in a 3-part series, looking into the pandemic, streaming and even Nollywood. You can read the essays here:
That’s great news, Africa to the world